


Teddy and the Boy-Who-Lived

by Kitsuchin



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, F/M, Ginny Weasley Bashing, Harry Potter Epilogue What Epilogue | EWE, Harry is a very good godfather, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, JKR killed them first, Long live Teddy, M/M, Minor Character Death, Teddy has many Aunts and Uncles, Teddy is too cute, Teddy is too nice, so is Sirius
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-03
Updated: 2019-08-10
Packaged: 2019-10-03 15:15:05
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 78,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17286461
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kitsuchin/pseuds/Kitsuchin
Summary: Raised by his beloved godfather, Teddy Lupin had a wonderful childhood and was now ready to go to Hogwarts.Growing up, Teddy understood that all the stories his godfather told him to put him to sleep were not just stories. There was Harry’s past. What he went through at Hogwarts with his friends and no family. Teddy often wished he had been there too to see it all, but then he remembered that it must have been very scary so he wished that nothing had ever happened to the person he loved most in the world.What will happen when, after an unfortunate chain of events, 11-year-old Teddy Lupin rumbled back in time to the 31st of July 1991?





	1. Prologue

Teddy Lupin had a good life. Of course, he had lost his parents when he was just a few weeks old and his grandmother died a few years back… But Teddy still had his Godfather, and his Godfather was the best godfather a child could ever have.

Harry Potter, Teddy’s godfather, had always taken care of him even when Teddy wasn’t fully his charge. Harry had taken Teddy to the Muggle and Magical zoo when he was just 3. He had taken him to the beach and to Quidditch matches. He had welcomed him into his very house when Teddy was just 5 and his grandmother got sick. He had registered him in a Muggle Elementary School so Teddy could learn more about his paternal grandmother who died long before he was born. Teddy met a lot of muggle friends there along with wizarding friends like Victoire Weasley who convinced her parents to go to school with Teddy a few times – they told the teacher that she was Teddy’s French pen pal.

 

Of course, Teddy’s life wasn’t all bed of roses.

The darkest cloud in Teddy’s life was his aunt, Ginny, Harry’s wife. Teddy didn’t like her very much. He thought she was mean, especially to Harry. She was always ordering him around to make dinner or clean the table or buy her a new dress or take her out to official galas Harry hated. One day, when Teddy was younger, she told Harry that she didn’t want to foster Teddy because he was going to be too much work. She said Teddy should go and live with other members of his family like Aunt Cissy. That day was the only time Teddy had seen his Godfather getting really mad at his wife. He had shouted at her and menaced her to leave her alone if she cannot accept his godson.

Teddy had been very scared after this event, even when everything had cooled down the next morning. He knew Harry loved Aunt Ginny and he didn’t want him to be miserable because of him so he had tried his best not to be a burden anymore. To be a good boy, like Aunt Molly always said. When Harry had noticed what Teddy was doing, he had been very sad and had given Teddy the longest hug ever. He told Teddy times and times again that he didn’t need to do all that; that Teddy just had to be a kid and that no kid needed to earn their keep under his roof. But Teddy told him that it was not how he felt and that he just wanted to help. Harry had hugged his godson a lot after that but they agreed on a light list of chores and Teddy was happy to be able to help his godfather.

 

Teddy had never really missed his parents because Harry had always been there for him. Especially when Teddy got nightmares and had a hard time going back to sleep. Those were the moments Teddy loved the most; when Harry was sitting down next to him; telling him stories about the infamous Marauders – of whom Teddy’s dad was the brain; about his own adventures and basilisks, dragons, acromantulas and flying cars; and above all about evil dark lords who had divided their souls into magical items. No matter how tired and how much work Harry still had to do, he always took time to sit and stay with Teddy until the boy fell asleep again.

Growing up, Teddy understood that those stories were not just stories. There was Harry’s past. What he went through at Hogwarts with his friends and no family. He often wished he had been there too to see it all. But then he remembered that it must have been very scary so he wished that nothing had ever happened to his beloved godfather.

Harry deserved better. Harry deserved to be happy.

So when Aunt Ginny announced that she was pregnant, just after Teddy’s 11th birthday, Teddy had celebrated fully! He knew Harry had always wanted to be a father even if Harry had never told him. He knew he was not Harry’s son even when he was considering Harry as his father. So he was really happy that Harry was finally achieving his dream.

 

Now it was July 31st and Teddy wanted to organize a surprise present for his Godfather’s birthday. He had borrowed Aunt Mione’s bottomless bag – leaving a note promising he would give it back and reimburse the money he took – and sneaked out from Aunt Mione and Uncle Ron’s house to go to muggle London and find some munitions. Uncle George had taught him how to do the hovering charm with his brand new wand so he was hoping on using it on confetti. Then he would ask Kreacher to help him bake a cake. Harry would be so surprised, it would be glorious!

When Teddy got home early that afternoon, he had expected to find the house empty. However, there were sounds coming from Harry’s and Aunt Ginny’s bedroom. Teddy immediately felt disappointed that he might have spoiled his surprise because Harry got home early too… But when he came closer to the door, he realized that Aunt Ginny was not kissing Harry but another man – Cormac McLaggen; Teddy knew he worked for the ministry but didn’t like him very much the few times they had met at official galas.

“…are you sure?” the man was asking Aunt Ginny.

“Of course, the potion made him completely sterile. It’s yours…”

“Won’t he notice?”

“He? No. I’ll have a blood adoption ritual ready before anyone else meets my child. They would be the perfect Potter Heir!”

“And what do I get out of it?”

“Well, once the Potter Heir is safe and secured, something could always happen on the field, making the current Lord Potter suddenly disappear. As a distraught widow, I’d need to ask my closest friends for help and a genuine love could grow from a long built friendship. I mean, don’t take me wrong. I loved him but he has become so boring since the war is over…”

“I don’t want to be Potter’s substitute.” McLaggen huffed.

“It’s not as if you have a chance to be Lord of your house! Both your older brothers already have a few boys on their own don’t they?” Ginny mocked.

“… don’t remind me. What about the godson? Didn’t he make him the heir?”

Aunt Ginny sighed loudly at this thought. Teddy knew that look of exasperation. It was the same face she always wore when she saw Harry hold him tightly even though he was a big boy now.

Teddy jumped when an owl chipped at the window behind him but it was nothing compared to the expression on his aunt's face when he looked back ahead and met her eyes.

“…you…” she started.

And Teddy felt his blood running cold in his vein. Harry was not there to protect him from her right now. No one knew he was here and he was not supposed to be here. She was kissing another man. She was saying that something horrible would happen to Harry when the baby is born!!!!

Without realizing it, Teddy made a u-turn and ran. He ran as if his life depended on it.

He rushed down the stairs and to Harry’s office. He needed to contact his godfather. He knew his godfather was keeping a two-way mirror in his desk! He closed the door and blocked it with a chair. He could hear his aunt’s angry steps coming closer.

“Teddy! Open this door!” she ordered.

“NO!” he cried back.

“Teddy, I’ll count until three!”

Teddy ransacked the drawers until his fingers found a chain he thought was the one of the mirror. But it was not. It was attached to a golden hourglass with runic circles all around it. He searched again frantically. He was so certain Harry was keeping the mirror here!

“One!”

He looked at the fireplace. Maybe the floo was open. Sometimes it was open when Uncle Draco comes to visit! Aunt Ginny always hated when Uncle Draco came… But where was the floo power??? HERE!!!

“Two!”

He needed to lit the fire! He thought, taking his wand out of his pocket. Right, how did Harry lit the fire?? Why did he never speak the incantation out loud????

“Fire! Feu! Fuego!” Teddy urged the fireplace, thinking about all the language he knew. He just wanted fire!! “Ignis!” And there, a gorgeous flame appeared.

“Three! _REDUCTO_!!” Aunt Ginny yelled.

“Harry’s off…” he started yelling at the same time.

The explosion projected Teddy inside the fireplace, tossing the floo power everywhere; the rings around the golden hourglass began to turn madly on themselves; he cried more of fear than pain when the green flames became golden too and swallowed him.

That day, the 31st of July 2009 at 2:30 pm, Teddy Lupin disappeared.


	2. Something different

Cars horns and muggle-police sirens were resonating in the street when Teddy opened his eyes. He was lying on the ground of a smelly dead-end. He didn’t know where he was, but he wasn’t in his house anymore, and Aunt Ginny was nowhere to be found.

He needed to tell Harry.

Teddy tried to get up and winced when he pushed the ground with his hands. Tiny pieces of broken glass were hurting his palms. It seemed that the hourglass broke during his escape, the rune circles had completely melted down, burning his left hand slightly. Teddy grimaced. He hoped Harry wasn’t too attached to this thing because it seemed broken beyond repairs…

He had no time for that. He needed to find out where he was and contact his godfather. Harry needed to know what was happening with Aunt Ginny! He still had Aunt Mione’s bottomless bag, so he could pay an express owl if he found a public owl office! He needed to move, now!

Teddy’s first reflex was to go to the main street and tried to find a map – Muggles always put maps everywhere. It was easy enough to follow the horn sounds. He must be in a big city. And indeed, he quickly discovered that he was still in London. Not that far away from the Leaky Cauldrons actually. He didn’t know that this part of the City still had so many phone booths… It was probably for the tourists.

The Leaky Cauldron was a great destination. He could floo called Harry’s office from there and if Harry was not at the Ministry, he could go to Uncle George’s shop. Uncle George had always been nice to him. Teddy was sure he would help him… But maybe he wouldn’t tell him the truth before Harry comes and gets him… Just in case. Uncle George was still Aunt Ginny’s brother after all. He would certainly take his little sister’s side… Teddy hoped not, because he had always like Uncle George, just like his other Uncle, Ron. Uncle Bill was more like ‘Victoire’s dad’ than a real uncle for him… He didn’t really know Uncle Charlie and Uncle Percy… They didn’t meet often. Teddy really hoped the Weasleys wouldn’t take Aunt Ginny’s side because he knew Harry was thinking of them as family too…

Teddy shook his head. He shouldn’t think about all that. Harry needed to know the truth, and then he would decide what’s best for them.

Anyway, Teddy was at the Leaky Cauldron already. The place was small and dingy as always. He went straight to Tom, the barman.

“Hello, Tom! I’m sorry to interrupt but… could you floo call my godfather, please? It’s kind of an emergency…”

“And who your godfather is supposed to be, lad?”

Teddy frowned. He had been here with Harry several times and Tom had always been nice to him. He had always talked to him as if he really cared. Maybe he didn’t recognize him because he wasn’t with Harry for once. “Harry Potter, of course. It’s me, Teddy! Could you call the DMLE, please?”

He certainly didn’t expect Tom would suddenly laugh at his face. “Ah ah! Nice one! Very funny, lad! Now geroff’, I’ve got work to do!”

Teddy stared at him astonished. Did he just dismiss him like that? Was it something he did? Was it because Harry was not there, and people were only nice to him when Harry was there???

“Ah! Hagrid! The usual?” Tom was already reaching for a glass.

Wait? Hagrid? Hagrid would help him!

“Can’t, Tom, I’m on Hogwarts business,” said Hagrid, clapping his great hand on a small boy. The boy had untidy jet-black hair and was wearing round broken glasses which were only holding on with muggle-sticking tape. His clothes were torn and seemed too big for him, his trouser was put together with a rope belt. It seemed a little stupid and outdated… Teddy wondered if the boy would be a 1st year too next September.

“Good Lord,” said Tom behind Teddy, “is this – can this be -? Bless my soul, Harry Potter … what an honour.”

His godfather was here?? Teddy looked up and scan the room but couldn’t see the man anywhere. He glanced at Tom to see who the barman was addressing, maybe Harry was undercover or something… But Tom was only staring at the kid, hurrying out from behind the bar to seize his hand.

“Welcome back, Mr Potter, welcome back.”

The kid didn’t answer, everyone was looking at him. Then, there was a great scraping of chairs and, next moment, the whole room was trying to shake the kid’s hand.

Teddy couldn’t believe it… Was there a kid who had the same name as his godfather out there? Why did everyone seem to know him? Did he miss something? Aunt Mione always scolded him for not reading the Prophet often enough… But he was just a kid, he wanted to read comic books and fantasy novels, not boring articles!

“Hi, I’m Harry.”

Teddy looked up and stared at the kid who was giving him a hand. He had the exact same almond shape green eyes as his godfather’s. They seemed so big in his small face. It was unsettling. But not as much as the lightning-bolt scar creeping out the boy’s raven fringe. It couldn’t be, could it???

“What with your manners, lad? Don’t gonna say ‘hi’ to your godfather?” Tom laughed next to them.

Teddy felt his cheeks burning red. “I…Hi, I’m Teddy,” Teddy managed to spill out before taking the boy’s – Harry’s ?? – hand.

“P-P-Potter,” stammered a young man, grasping Harry’s hand out of Teddy’s. “c-can’t t-tell you how p-please I am to meet you. I’m Q-Qui-Quirinus Quirrell. W-will be your D-Defence Against the D-D-Dark Arts t-teacher. N-not that you n-need it, eh, P-P-Potter?” He laughed nervously.

Teddy watched the man with round eyes. Quirrell? Like in DADA-possessed-teacher-who-wants-to-steal-the-Philosopher-stone Quirrell??? But… but… there was nothing on his back! Did… did Harry lie? Was it just a story or… or…

“Must get on – lots ter buy. Come on, Harry.” Hagrid announced loudly, leading the boy out of the crowd and to the back door where the portal to Diagon Alley was. Teddy followed them without really thinking about it.

Teddy couldn’t stop himself from looking at the building where his Uncle George’s shop should have been. The street was busy as always, but the young boy felt a pitch of loneliness when he couldn’t see the gigantic “W” flashing around. Was he really in the past? Was that really his godfather next to Hagrid? Or was it just a dream? Maybe he hurt his head when Aunt Ginny caught him…

“What can we do for you, sir?” the stern voice of a Goblin jolted him out of his thoughts.

What was he doing in Gringotts?? Kid Harry and Hagrid were talking to another goblin a little further down the hall. He must have followed them inside the building, but…

“Sir?” the Goblin repeated.

Teddy looked back at him. He seemed angry. “I… nothing… sorry, I…” He was ready to turn around and leave the bank when another goblin stopped him.

“Would you please follow me, sir. The director wants to speak with you.”

What? No! That didn’t seem like a good idea! Teddy’d rather just wake up and be in his bed and call for his godfather and not follow goblins who were still mad at Harry for the robbery of the Lestranges’ vault…

“This way,” the goblin said, without leaving him a choice.

Teddy followed him with a stone in the stomach. What did he do? What could they do? The goblin knocked at a large door and waited two seconds before nodding and opening it. Teddy entered in a large office made of stone and luxurious metals. An old goblin seemed to be waiting for him at the large desk.

“Sit, Mister Lupin,” the director said.

Teddy shuddered. How did this goblin know his name? Then, that must be a dream because if he were in the past, nobody would know who he was…

“When you entered our prestigious establishment this afternoon at 3:02, you set up one of our oldest alarm…” the goblin explained. “Would you mind explaining to us how your birthdate could possibly be in a little less than seven years from now?”

“I… I…” Wow! Was that real? Teddy couldn’t believe it. He…

“Well, if you may, it’s not the first time that we’ve encountered time-travellers here but, they tended to be a little… older than you. May we inquire what your purpose here is?”

“I… I don’t… It wasn’t on… purpose,” Teddy shuttered.

The goblin raised an eyebrow.

“Well, I… I was just trying to get out of the house with the floo before my aunt gets me and…”

“A floo travel accident? That’s certainly been unheard of… Didn’t you have any other circumstances that could explain your presence here? A potion? A charm? Jinx? Time-turner?”

“Time-turner! Harry had told me about that, Aunt Mione had one at some point when they were in school… Maybe it was in her bag!” Teddy thought out-loud before putting the bottomless bag on the desk and starting to rummage it. “Do you know what it looks like?”

“Well, it depends on how the technology had been evolving in your time, but nowadays the most common form is an hourglass filled with Sands of Time from Babylon.”

“An hourglass??” Teddy repeated looking up.

“Yes.”

“In gold, about this big?” he asked measuring a few centimetres with his indexes.

“It can be, yes. Why? Does this ring a bell?”

“I… I found it just before… It’s broken though… I crushed it when Aunt Ginny made the door explode. I… the floo fire turned to gold and… I felt more like side-apparating than flooing but… Do you think it could be it?”

“It’s hard to tell… But if your device is broken, it would be difficult for you to go back to your time. Do you still have it with you?”

“No… I left it on that street. It was… it was completely destroyed!” Teddy panicked. Did that mean that he was stuck there? In… seven years from now… 1991????? What was he going to do???

“Now…now… No need to panic,” the old goblin sighed. “If you are to stay here, your presence might drag unwanted attention. I suggested that you start by finding a new identity. Do you have someone you can trust in this time?”

“I… only my godfather but… but he’s 11 too, now!”

“Not the best choice, indeed. As he is underage, we cannot ask him to cover your expenses. Any other guess?”

Teddy thought about it. There was no one else… all his uncles and aunts were Harry’s age and… Wait! 1991! His parents were still alive then!!! But… His mother would just have finished Hogwarts and his father was a werewolf. Harry told him that because of that, he couldn’t have a stable job and was doing with very little money. He couldn’t burden them… and he wasn’t sure he was ready to meet them. Going to his grandmother would have the same effect and he didn’t know her very well…

“I… Can’t I pay myself? I… I have money!” Teddy stuttered taking a purse out of Aunt Mione’s bag. He would explain when he gets back. He was sure she would understand… Harry would understand and help him pay her back. It’d probably be okay to use it…

The goblin took the purse and weighed it before nodding. “It seems enough to support you for a few months, maybe more if you use it wisely. Do you want us to give you a new identity then? It would cost 100 galleons and it would reset all information you may have in your time to this time set. This procedure won’t dismiss any of the inheritances that are rightfully yours, but no one would be able to trace them back to you with certainty.”

Wow! That was expensive! Teddy had never used so much money at once!

“May I say that your savings perfectly cover that expense without endangering my previous remark on their lasting.

“Oh… Okay then… it’s not as if I really have a choice, isn’t it?” Teddy chuckled nervously.

“Fine. Would you proceed to the ritual room, please?” The goblin gestured him to a back door. “Do you have an idea on what your new name should be?”

“I…” Right, he couldn’t keep the same name, it would raise too many questions… He couldn’t take his godfather’s name either… And it should be something that he would recognize easily… Something he would easily respond to…

Teddy’s eyebrows began to ache with how much he was frowning out of reflexion. ‘ _What’s wrong, my little wolf?_ ’ he imagined his godfather would say if he saw him like that. “Wolf…” he repeated slowly for himself. That was it. The name was common enough and not that far from his real one. He could keep his first name; his parents chose it for him and he didn’t want to lose that part of them.

“Edward Wolfe,” he told louder to the goblin as a rune circle activated beneath him.

“Well, nice to meet you Mister Wolfe.” The goblin smirked as the runic light faded out.


	3. Making plans

Teddy left the office feeling like a new man. And indeed, he was. He was now Edward ‘Teddy’ Wolfe, born on the 9th of April 1980. He lost his parents in the war when he was just a baby and had been raised by his godfather oversea ever since. They were now back in the UK for professional purposes. Teddy wasn’t sure yet what he was going to do but he guessed he could join the Order of the Phoenix and help them defeat Voldemort just like in Harry’s stories.

His eyes absentmindedly followed the owl flying through Gringotts hall. Yes, he could do that! Harry told him everything about the war after all! He could tell the Order! That would be glorious!

“Mister Wolfe,” the desk goblin called behind him as he was about to leave the building. “I think this letter is meant for you,” he said giving him a thick and heavy parchment envelope.

_Mr E. Wolfe_  
_Gringotts Lobby_  
 _London_

The Hogwarts crest was sealing it on the back. It…it couldn’t be, could it???

“I got to go to Hogwarts???” he exclaimed unbelievingly as he was reading the letter. A few people stopped and looked at him.

“Well, you’re a magical child living in the UK, aren’t you?” a nearby elderly woman scorned.

“Yes, but…”

“Oh! You’re going to Hogwarts? I’m going too!” a child said next to him. When he turned his head, Teddy realized that it was _kid_ -Harry again, he must have been done with his business at the bank at the same as he did. Hagrid seemed like he was going to be sick next to him. “Oh, hi again,” Harry smiled when he recognized him. “Teddy, right?”

“Y-yes,” Teddy answered before looking down to the letter again. He couldn’t believe it. He remembered when he had received his original letter a few weeks back. Harry had thrown a party for all his friends. Victoire had been so jealous. She said hers would be even bigger next year!

“Are you alone?” Harry wondered probably noticing that there was no adult with him.

“No! I mean… yes, but I’ve a godfather, it’s just that… Well, he’s working…” He lied, not looking in his _kid-_ godfather’s eyes.

“Oh… Well, we’re going to buy all my school supply now. Do you want to join?” Harry offered.

“C-can I?” Teddy asked in awe looking from Harry to Hagrid.

“Well, I guess it’s no trouble… you know what they said, the more the merrier…” The half-giant answered with a shrugged.

Hagrid quickly abandoned them after sending them to Madam Malkin’s though. Teddy didn’t mind but he thought it was strange. His godfather would have never left him unsupervised in Diagon Alley!

 

In Madam Malkin’s, they met Uncle Draco, well _kid-_ Uncle Draco, really. The blond boy seemed soooo smug, it almost made Teddy laugh. Draco didn’t seem to recognize Harry and started talking about Quidditch and Slytherin being the best House and all.

“-imagine being in Hufflepuff, I think I’d leave, wouldn’t you?”

“Hey! My mother was a Hufflepuff!” Teddy couldn’t stop himself from contesting.

“Was she?” Draco snarled, looking him over.

“Yes! All Houses are okay, really. My mother was a Hufflepuff but my father and my godfather were Gryffindors. My grandmother and my favourite uncle were Slytherins, and I have an aunt that was a Ravenclaw and she’s probably the most interesting person I’ve ever known!” he said proudly thinking fondly about his Aunt Luna. “Their House alone didn’t make them good or bad people,” he repeated his godfather’s words. “No matter your House, I’m sure your parents would be proud of you, Harry!”

Teddy blushed suddenly when he realized what he just said but kid-Harry smiled brightly at him.

“Well, you certainly have the most heteroclite family,” kid-Draco snorted. “What’s your surname, anyway?”

But before Teddy could answer, Madam Malkin said, “That’s you done, my dear,” and Draco hopped down from the footstool.

“Well, I’ll see you at Hogwarts, I suppose,” he said before disappearing to the front part of the shop.

“What a git,” Teddy chuckled amusedly. He couldn’t wait to go back to his time and mocking his uncle about it.

“So… Everyone in your family is magic?” Harry asked next to him.

“Yeah… basically. But my godfather was muggle-raised, and he insisted that I went to a muggle Elementary School to know their culture better,” he explained.

Harry seemed to relax hearing that. “You talk about him a few times. Your godfather, I mean. What about your parents?”

“They died when I was a baby… I’ve lived with my godfather for years now. Well, with him and his wife…” he felt like he needed to add that, but his guts went dry just by thinking about her. “Sorry…” he said looking away.

“It’s okay… My parents died when I was a baby too and… I don’t like my Aunt and Uncle very much either…” Harry told him with a knowing smile.

A warm feeling sprouted inside Teddy’s chest. Even as a child his godfather always had the words to make him feel better.

 

After that, they ate the ice creams Hagrid had bought them. They went to buy their books and Harry a wand, and everything they would need in September. Hagrid even offered an owl to Harry. Teddy had been amazed, he had seen pictures of Hedwig growing up of course but the bird was so beautiful in real life too!

Then, the time to say goodbye came, and Teddy felt incredibly lonely.

“I could write?” he offered Harry.

“Thanks, but I’m not sure my Uncle is ready to see anymore owl this summer… Well, I won’t leave him with a choice with this girl, though,” Harry chuckled, playing with Hedwig – who still had to be named.

Teddy tried his lost puppy eyes, but it only made Harry laugh harder. It did earn him a quick hug though.

“It was nice meeting you, Teddy,” Harry said. “I hope we could stay friends at school.”

“Of course, we’ll!” Teddy exclaimed.

“See you on the 1st of September, then.”

“Yeah, have a great end of summer, Harry.”

“Thank you, you too. Bye!”

And with that Teddy was all alone again. He needed to make plans!

 

First, he booked a room in the Leaky Cauldron. Tom raised an eyebrow when he told him he would be staying alone but accepted when he showed him the money. That could be an issue… Luckily, Teddy was a metamorphmagus, he could change his face to look older. It was harder to change his height, but he could handle it for a few hours a day.

Then, he would need clothes and basic supplies. He went to muggle London for that part and had been horrified by the early 90’s fashion. What was wrong with those people?!! Was there nothing between neon colours and hobo look?!! Did they even wash their hair?! Was shampoo not invented yet?!! What the hell were they putting in there?!!!! Did he really have to copy that to fit in?!! Eventually, he decided not to go to the middle parting hair and just stick to his usual light brown loose haircut.

Last but not least, he needed to make a plan to help the Order. His afternoon with Harry and Hagrid reminded him that Albus Dumbledore was still alive. According to Harry’s stories, he was the best person to help… but how? Then he remembered, the soul-linked objects… Hoc… Hoc-something. He could tell Dumbledore about them!

He made a list:  
1\. Seven “Hoc-stuff-somethings”:  
\- Tom Riddle’s diary – owned by Lucius Malfoy – WARNING: Malfoy manor’s wards?  
\- Gaunt’s ring – Gaunt cottage – WARNING: curse  
\- Slytherin’s locket – Seacliff (?) cave – WARNING: inferi and deadly potion  
\- Hufflepuff’s cup – Bellatrix Lestrange’s vault – WARNING: Gringotts security  
\- Ravenclaw’s diadem – Hogwarts Room of Requirement – WARNING: hard to find?  
\- Nagini, the Snake – ? – WARNING: deadly snake?  
\- Harry – WARNING: …Please don’t kill him.

He thought about it a little more and added a second section to his list:  
2\. Voldemort possesses Quirrell and tries to steal the Philosopher Stone:  
\- Fluffy, the Cerberus: sleep if you play music  
\- Devil Snare: fire!  
\- Catch a flying key  
\- Check-mate  
\- Potion dilemma  
\- Mirror of Erised – must not want to use the stone.

Teddy stopped there and read his list again. He would have a hard time convincing anyone with that.

Maybe he should find one of the Hoc-stuff-something himself to prove his point. But that would be incredibly dangerous! Unless… Unless there was already one unprotected Hoc-stuff-something available…

The Locket!

It wasn’t in the cave. He immediately corrected his list. The cave was the fake one! Kreacher had the other one! He should go to Grimmauld Place! But he hated it there… and there would probably be wards around. Harry often warned him about breaking in a wizarding home, especially old ones with so many wards… It could be dangerous, deadly dangerous.

Maybe if he couldn’t go there, Kreacher could come to him? It wouldn’t hurt to try…

“K-Kreacher?” he called out loud. “Kreacher, the Black Family Elf?”

Nothing happened, and Teddy started to wonder if it was a lost cause, when a loud pop resonated in his room.

“Who is this child calling, Kreacher?” the old house-elf asked. “The child is not part of the Noble House Black family tree…He smells like a Blood-traitor…” he snarled.

Teddy winced. Kreacher used to be decent to him, but he knew it was probably thanks to Harry more than really caring. “Hi, Kreacher. My name is Teddy and…”

“Such a mudblood name!” the elf muttered. “The child’s parents are disrespecting the Noble and Ancient House of Black…”

“Yeah, yeah, it’s just short for Edward,” Teddy sighed. “Kreacher, I need your help. Could you give me Slytherin Locket?” he straightforwardly asked.

The elf looked him over. “Kreacher is not knowing what the mudblood child is talking about.,” He snorted.

“You know, the Slytherin locket. The one Regulus Black asked you to hide?” Teddy insisted.

“How the mudblood child dare speak the noble Master Regulus’s name!” Kreacher snapped.

“I… Listen, Kreacher. I know you have no reason to trust me, but I really need this locket and…” Teddy started desperately before remembering something. “Kreacher? Would you like to see your master Regulus again?”

“The mudblood child cannot fool Kreacher! Kreacher knows that Noble Master Regulus is dead…” the elf snarled.

Teddy nodded and closed his eyes to concentrate. He used to do that a lot when he was a child. He just thought about one of Regulus’s youth pictures and…

“Young Master Regulus?” Kreacher gasped.

Teddy opened his eyes and smiled at Kreacher before morphing back to his original appearance.

“I know who Regulus Black was, I know what he did. My godfather told me all about it. Regulus Arcturus Black was very brave and went against Voldemort even if he had just graduated from Hogwarts. He sacrificed himself to save the world even if nobody would ever know about it. He also did it to avenge you, his beloved friend, and trust you enough to ask you to finish his task. I want to help too, Kreacher. I want to destroy the locket.”

Kreacher considered him for long minutes. “The mudblood child is a Metamorphmagus. Metamorphmagus are very rare even if it is a renowned Black Family gift. The mudblood child might really be a Black Family child and he is speaking the truth about Noble Master Regulus. Noble Master Regulus is… was a great wizard and Kreacher’s friend.” The House-elf sniffed loudly. “Kreacher might help the mudblood child but he doubts the mudblood child is strong enough to finish Noble Master Regulus’s task. It is very dark and powerful artefact magic. Kreacher would not put a child who speaks the truth about Master Regulus into danger, even if it is a mudblood blood traitors’ child.”

“Oh! Of course, I’m not strong enough!” Teddy chuckled at this stupid idea. “I want to ask Albus Dumbledore to destroy the Locket! To be honest, Voldemort made other artefacts like this one. I’m just a kid, I can’t go after them. But Albus Dumbledore is the most powerful wizard there is! So, I would just tell him where the other artefacts are and how to destroy them!”

“The mudblood child knows how to destroy the Dark Lord’s Locket?” Kreacher repeated interested.

“Yes! Basilisk venom or fiendfyre!” Teddy answered proudly.

Kreacher seemed to think about it for a few seconds before sighing heavily. “Fine… Kreacher will help. But he will not give the Dark Lord’s Locket to the mudblood child. It is too dangerous. When the mudblood child is ready, Kreacher will take the Dark Lord’s Locket to Blood-Traitor Albus Stupid Names Dumbledore.”

“Okay! Thanks, Kreacher,” Teddy smiled and almost hugged the elf who stepped back disgust written on his face. Teddy laughed at him and Kreacher kept looking at him as if he was waiting for something. “What is it?” Teddy eventually asked.

“…Kreacher had not seen his Noble Master Regulus for long long years and…” Kreacher trailed.

Teddy smiled brightly as he understood what the house-elf was trying to say and transformed back into Regulus Black. He laughed when he saw the sparkles in the old elf’s eyes and the ghost of a smile appeared in his face in response.

He had a plan!


	4. The Hogwarts Express

September came quickly as Teddy had tried to keep busy and not to think too much about home.

He bought books on time-travel at Flourish and Boots. They weren’t really helping as most of them just told the dramatic stories of people who disappeared miserably. Sometimes, the time-travellers were even locked in the Department of Mysteries to be interrogated until they died! Most of them were reported to have gone crazy.

With those stories in mind, Teddy had decided not to sign his letter to Dumbledore. He had also decided not to tell the headmaster about Harry’s hoc-stuff either. He would tell him when he would be certain that the man had destroyed the other Hoc-stuffs and could be trusted not to blindly kill Harry. He wasn’t sure it was the style of the man, but he was the owner of the Elder wand and this hollow was known to make its owner do terrible things. So, Teddy decided: better be safe than sorry, and kept the secret of the 7th Hoc-stuff for himself.

As another proof that he was not lying, he had added a few elements about the coming year and Quirrell-mort. He quickly listed the ‘ _traps_ ’ that would be protecting the Philosopher Stone and told Dumbledore that Quirrell would release a troll in the Castle for Halloween. He hoped it would be enough to convince Dumbledore… it was hard to say without knowing the man.

Kreacher had delivered the letter and the Locket to Hogwarts during the last week of August. Teddy had asked him to do his best not to be seen and to keep his own involvement a secret. The old house-elf had agreed, only going with Dumbledore because Teddy asked him and not because he was trusting the (blood-traitor) man.

 

On the 1st of September, Teddy woke up early and went to King Cross by the Tube. He was one of the first on the platform and the Hogwarts Express was just arriving. He settled in a compartment, took out his Potion book and started reading, distracting himself from the families hugging their kids goodbye.

He did miss his godfather a lot, today, and no book was good enough to take that away.

A knock at the compartment door startled him and he horrifyingly realized that he was crying. He quickly wiped his face.

“Sorry to intrude, do you mind if I seat here? Oh! Teddy! Hi!”

Teddy turned his face to the shiny smile of his _kid_ -godfather and felt another drop falling down his cheek. He wasn’t prepared to see the horror filling those perfect emerald eyes. “Crap! Sorry Harry…” he muttered trying to hide his face out of embarrassment. “Go ahead. Err… Sorry…”

“Teddy, what’s wrong?” Harry asked softly seating next to him.

“It’s nothing… really… sorry… I just… I just wished my godfather were there to see me off…”

“Oh… Is he working again?” Harry genuinely asked.

Teddy nodded at the lie and wiped new tears as his kid-godfather hugged him tightly. They straightened up when they heard the door slid open again.

“Anyone sitting there? Everywhere else is full.”

Teddy looked at his Uncle Ron’s funny face. It was as if it hadn’t changed at all over the years, except for the hair, of course. Teddy had never seen Uncle Ron with so many hairs on his head.

Harry shook his head and kid-Ron sat down. He glanced at Teddy, then a little longer at Harry before looking quickly out of the window, pretending he hadn’t looked.

“Hey, Ron.” Teenage-Uncle George and… his clone?!! Uncle Fred? Teddy had never met him since Fred died alongside his parents. The Weasleys didn’t speak about him very often, Uncle George had always seemed so distraught when they did…

The twins exchanged a few words with Ron and Harry before leaving.

“Are you really Harry Potter?” Ron suddenly blurted out.

Harry nodded and then Ron started fanboying over him like if Harry was a celebrity or something. Teddy knew how much Harry hated this kind of behaving, so he sneered and looked out of the window.

“What?” Ron asked defensively.

“He’s a human before being ‘ _The Boy-Who-Lived_ ’. Stop beaming over him like that, it’s stupid.”

Ron frowned deepened and he started becoming as red as his hair. But Harry’s laugh prevented him from really getting angry. “Look who’s speaking!” the raven-haired boy chuckled. “You were so stunned to meet me back at the Leaky Cauldron that you couldn’t even talk!”

Teddy could feel his own cheeks burning. “It’s not the same!!!” he defended himself.

“Well, you being a fanboy at first didn’t prevent us from becoming friends so maybe it would be the same with Ron, here!” Harry said brightly.

“What’s wrong with you anyway? Why were you crying?”

Teddy opened his mouth but didn’t come with an answer, so Harry did it for him. “Teddy was just missing his family. They couldn’t make it to the station today,” he explained adamantly.

“Oh… That’s a shame… I can’t say I relate to that though… I can’t wait to part from mine, I’m so sick of gingers sometimes… a little diversity would have been welcomed!”

Teddy chuckled. That’s exactly what Uncle Ron had said when he had first introduced them to baby Rose last year.

“Are all your family wizards?” Harry wondered.

And the three of them started talking animatedly about everything and nothing. Teddy’s loneliness was soon forgotten as he got to meet the child version of Aunt Mione and Uncle Nev. It was so funny to see them all so little and all. Aunt Mione was as bossy as an 11-year-old as she was as a ministry official.

Harry had so many questions about Hogwarts and the Wizarding world, it was cute. At some point, Teddy got out his version of _Hogwarts: A History_ and lend it to him.

“You should read that. It’s my Aunt’s favourite book. She’s muggleborn but she always quotes from it. I realized I already knew most of what was in there thanks to her.”

Harry seemed confused. “Your Aunt? I thought… I thought you didn’t like her very much?” he asked in a low voice as if he didn’t want Ron to hear him.

“Oh… Not the same Aunt, sorry,” Teddy apologized. “The aunt I don’t like is my godfather’s wife, and this aunt – and her husband – are my godfather’s best friends from school.”

“You should give us their names, it’d be easier to keep up,” Ron said with a mouth full of Chocolate Frog. “Trust me, I know, I’m from a large family too.”

“Well…” Teddy mused. “Let’s say that I don’t like Aunt G, but Aunt H is awesome. Some say that she’s the brightest witch of her age when she was at school!”

“‘ _G_? _H_? What is it with their real names? Is your family working for the MI-5 or something?” Harry chuckled.

“ _MI-5_?” Ron repeated.

“It’s like the muggle version of the unspeakable intelligence team,” Teddy clarified for him but decided to just smirk at Harry without answering. It’d probably work best for him this way.

They started talking again and at some point, Ron showed them his pet rat: Scabbers. The name rang a bell in Teddy’s ears, but he couldn’t put his finger onto it. And then Uncle Draco barged in with two boys Teddy didn’t recognize.

“Wolfe?” Draco repeated when he properly introduced himself. “As in the American wandmakers Wolfe?”

“Err… Not that I know of… no…” Teddy answered uncertainly. It was just a surname he picked up after all.

“I see… Well, see you at the Sorting Ceremony then Potter!” the blond boy declared before barging out as quickly as he came in.

“What was that?” Ron asked disbelievingly.

“I… I don’t know…” Harry answered in a similar fashion. “What were you telling about Scabbers anyway?”

“What? Ah! Yes! He had been my brother Percy’s pet for years but now, Percy got an owl because he was made prefect and so I ended up with that stupid disabled rat!”

Disabled… Teddy looked at the missing toe and then it clicked. Peter Pettigrew!! Scabbers was Peter Pettigrew, the Death Eater that betrayed Harry’s parents to Voldemort! Voldemort’s servant. Teddy needed to do something! Get him arrested! Maybe he could write another letter to Dumbledore!!

Aunt Mione came back again and told them they should put their robes on because they were arriving. Teddy could think about Pettigrew later. He wasn’t a threat for now…

Hogwarts was even more magnificent than anything Teddy had imagined. Of course, it wasn’t the first time he saw the Castle. He had been here almost every year with his family to commemorate the Battle of Hogwarts’ anniversary. But seeing the Castle for a celebration in May was nothing compare to discovering it by night, from the Black Lake, with a bunch of other 11-year-olds seeing the castle for the first time!

Hagrid got them to Professor McGonagall who was not Headmistress yet. She basically didn’t change at all over the next twenty years though… Maybe she was a little younger, but it was hard to tell.

They entered the Great Hall and Teddy could only blink at the demonstration of magic. The ceiling was even more beautiful than what he had imagined. Aunt Mione had tried and recreated it in his hut-bed as a Christmas present when he was 7, but the real one was really something else. He chuckled when he imagined the face his aunt would put if he’d ever told her that. Harry would have laughed with him, and Uncle Ron would have scolded them for making his wife angry.

At this moment, Teddy saw kid-Ron rolling his eyes over something kid-Hermione was saying and he chuckled louder, dragging the eyes of some other students. He decided to look at the teacher table to calm himself down a little. He quickly recognized some of them who hadn’t changed in his time; decided he didn’t know some others; and could guess the last ones.

For example, Severus Snape. Teddy had heard so much about him from his family. Each member had a different opinion about the man. Uncle Ron hated him. Aunt Mione was more adamant and often said that he was a genius Potion Master. Uncle Neville always shivered when they talk about him, as if the man was a dementor or something. Uncle Draco worshipped the man in any aspect of his life. And finally, Harry… well, his version often depended on the story. Sometimes he was saying that Snape was a great man, some others he said he was a perfect git… Teddy really didn’t know what to do with it, but he knew one thing for sure: this man had been important in one way or another to all his aunts and uncles.

Teddy’s feet almost stopped when he realized that Quirrell was sitting next to Snape. He was wearing the turban Harry told about in his stories. So, he was really Quirrell-mort now!! Why was he here?? Did Dumbledore miss his note about that teacher?? Teddy turned his eyes to the headmaster who was smiling happily as he there was no worry in the world.

Teddy felt someone grabbing his hand and pulling him ahead. He focused back to what was immediately before him and saw the smiling face of his kid-godfather. Harry must think he was getting nervous about the sorting. He tried to smile back, but he was so worried that it was almost impossible for him.

The Hat sang its song and Teddy barely listened to it. He needed to make plans again. He wouldn’t let that stupid Dark Lord hurt his godfather ever again.

The Sorting began and Teddy decided that his scheme could wait until later. The students went to the stool and were sorted one after another. Teddy recognized some of the names but most of them were unheard of. Kid-Neville forgot to give the Sorting Hat back before running to the Gryffindor table, and Teddy laughed happily just as he did a few months ago when his Aunt Anna – Uncle Neville’s new wife – told him about this story. Uncle Neville had sulked for the whole afternoon after that.

When Harry was called, the tension in the room rose up. Longs seconds passed. Teddy knew what was going on. His godfather told him about how the Sorting Hat wanted to send him to Slytherin, but he refused. And then “GRYFFINDOR!!” resonated in the Hall and the right side of the room exploded into cheers.

Teddy clapped happily and Harry smiled at him when their eyes met. The Sorting resumed and Uncle Ron was sent to Gryffindor to, as expected.

“Wolfe, Edward.” Professor McGonagall called.

Teddy took few nervous steps to the stool and the room disappeared under the big Hat.

“Oh… What have we here? Lost in time, aren’t we?” an amused voice said in his head.

Teddy shivered. So much for his anonymity…

“Oh, don’t worry child, I’ll keep your secret. I’m not one Hat to tell what I see in others’ head.”

Teddy relaxed then. Maybe he could trust the Hat. Such a powerful item must have multiple privacy charms over it, otherwise pureblood families would never let it be put on their children’s head.

“Yes… something like that,” the voice chuckled. “Well, then… Where should I put you?”

Gryffindor? Teddy would love to be in the same House as his godfather.

“Yes… you’re very brave after all… and this plan you put up, very ambitious. Such a cunning move to hide your identity like that… You were right, Dumbledore is not the kind of man to let a child time-traveller go around unsupervised… He had been really intrigued by your letter.”

Dumbledore did get his letter, then?? Then, why was Quirrell-mort still here??

“Right… not that cunning if you don’t know that great plans need patience. Slytherin is out for you, child. And even if you have a brilliant mind, knowledge is not your goal, so Ravenclaw is out too…” The voiced continued. “I know why you do all this, kid… with your knowledge, you could earn power, or you could position yourself as the saviour of the wizarding world… but none of these elements is your goal. You just want to do anything in your power to save your friends and family… even people that you don’t know… that’s admirable of you and that makes you an undebatable…”

“HUFFLEPUFF!!” resonated in the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please tell me what you think~


	5. The Pettigrew impediment

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There was a lot of typos when I reviewed this chapter, I must have been really tired when I first wrote it... So, if I missed some, please feel free to tell me in the comments! 
> 
> Thank you & Enjoy~
> 
> \----------------------------------------------------------------------

The first days of school made it impossible for Teddy to come up with a plan.

He went to all his classes like any other student. It was funny to be with his relatives in kid-version. He became quick friend with Susan Bones, a fellow Hufflepuff. Aunt Hannah (Uncle Nev’s wife) was in their house too but she was friend with Ernie Macmillan who was all about his Hufflepuff’s lineage, which was annoying, and Justin Finch-Fletchley, a muggleborn who couldn’t stop about Eton College, which was kind of annoying too…

The lessons were interesting, but Teddy felt like he had a step ahead thanks to all his reading and some practical magic his godfather and Uncle George taught him. Aunt Mione always scolded them when she caught them doing it. She said the Teddy was too young to do actual magic, so she only ever told him about theory, which was helping him now too. Professor Flitwick had been impressed with his _Lumos_ which he managed perfectly on his first try!

Professor Snape was kind of a disappointment. Teddy was already familiar with this kind of teacher who thinks that being sarcastic makes them more intelligent… Well, of course, the teacher knew more than 11-year-old students, there was no need to belittle everyone because of that!

Teddy got mad when Snape made Hannah cry. He then decided to make a point by making a perfect Cure for Boils, remembering a few tips his Uncle Draco had taught him. Snape had admitted that his potion could deserve an O, would this class have been evaluated. When Teddy added “Not too bad for a Hufflepuff, eh?”, Snape glared at him. He didn’t say a word and didn’t give or take points either, but Teddy was pretty sure that he had just signed himself in Snape’s blacklist.

A few days later, Harry told him he was definitely on that list too as he was debriefing his own disastrous first Potion class.

On the second week, Snape tried to have Teddy failed with tricky questions, but Teddy had read the book during summer, so he managed just fine again. He wondered for how long he would have to prove himself to the teacher, he didn’t mind being in the same boat as Harry! But Snape seemed to accept his responses from now on, and he even got five points to Hufflepuff, which provoked quite a commotion in the Common Room when he got back that afternoon.

 

Time was going, on and Harry got selected to play Seeker for the Gryffindor Quidditch Team. Teddy congratulated him when he was told, of course. He wasn’t such a fan of the game himself. He had never been really comfortable in the air. Kid-Hermione totally joined him on that part, and they started to hang out together a bit. She didn’t seem to get along with Ron and Harry just yet, Teddy was wondering why.

Teddy had thought back on what the Sorting Hat said, and he decided to leave the Quirrell-mort part to Dumbledore for now… But there was still the Pettigrew issue. He decided that a new letter to Dumbledore would not do. It would raise suspicion… probably… He needed another plan and it presented itself to him on the 3rd week of September.

That Wednesday, the Hufflepuff first-years had a joint study session with the Gryffindors under Professor McGonagall’s supervision. Ron happened to have brought his pet rat with him. The Death-Eater was lazily sleeping on Ron’s desk. Teddy was seating just behind him, next to Hermione.

“Hermione?” he whispered. “Do you know if there is a charm to detect if an animal is an animagus?”

Hermione looked up from the essay she was writing and glanced at him. She thought about his question during a few seconds before shaking her head. “Probably but I haven’t read about it. Animagus is not in the first-year curriculum after all…” she whispered back. “I looked it up after the first Transfiguration class. The theory behind the transformation would be covered during our 3rd year.”

“Is something the matter, Miss Granger?” McGonagall scolded them from her desk.

“Err… No Professor. Not Really. Teddy was just asking me if there was any kind of spell that would allow identifying an animagus from a real animal.” Hermione explained politely.

McGonagall raised an eyebrow and focused on Teddy. “And why would you need to know something like that, Mister Wolfe?”

“I…Well, because of my cousin! She always says that there is no way to know for sure if an animal is an animagus or not… and she always threatened me that when she would learn how to transform, she would choose to be a mouse so she could sneak around and tell all my secrets to my Aunt… If I know how to catch her red-handed, I could snitch her out first!”

“Are you sure you’re a Hufflepuff, Mister Wolfe?” McGonagall smirked.

“Your cousin is wrong,” Hermione interjected. “If one decided to learn the Animagus transformation, their animal form is not chosen by them but is determined by their personality and inner traits. Your cousin couldn’t be sure she would be a mouse.”

“That’s correct, thank you, Miss Granger,” McGonagall nodded at her. “As for your original question, several charms do exist either to detect or force an animagus to transform back into their human form. It’s way above first-year level, however. They are usually taught to Auror trainees.”

“Can you show me an example?”

“And what should I try it on?”

“Hum… Ron’s rat?” Teddy said pointed his target.

The whole room was listening now.

“What! No!” Ron explained. “You can’t experiment on Scabbers, it’s animal cruelty!” He grabbed his rat who began to jerk out of his grasp.

“Don’t worry, Mister Weasley,” McGonagall said. “This spell is harmless. It’s just a detection spell. Would your rat be a normal rat, there would be no consequences what so ever.”

“R-really?” Ron asked.

“I promise,” the professor said. “Hold it tight, please.”

Ron nodded and the whole room held its breath.

“ _Anato animo humanum revelio_ ” McGonagall chanted clearly, pointing her wand to the rat.

The tip of her wand lightened two seconds before turning red. She frowned.

“That’s strange…”

“What is it, Professor?” Hermione asked.

“Nothing, the rat must have move… Would you mind if I immobilize it, Mr Weasley? Harmlessly, of course.”

Ron shook his head and McGonagall cast a quick _Petrificus Totalus_ before chanting the previous incantation again. The same phenomenon happened. Whispers started to spread around the room.

“Miss Bones, Miss Granger, would you mind go and find Professor Dumbledore, please? Just ask the gargoyle on the West Tower 3rd Floor.”

The two girls nodded and left as the others started to whisper even more frantically.

“Wh-What’s wrong, Professor?” Ron muttered.

“May I know since when you own this rat, Mister Weasley?”

“J-Just this summer…” Ron answered. “He was Percy’s before, but since Percy became Prefect, my parents gave him a new owl and I got his old rat…”

“And for how long was this rat your brother’s?” McGonagall continued.

“I… I don’t know… Like forever? I…”

“Miss Patil, Miss Abbott, would you mind go to Professor Flitwick classroom and tell Mister Percy Weasley that his presence is required here?” She flicked her wand and a paper floated to Hannah. “This is a permission paper you can handle to Professor Flitwick may he ask for it.”

The two girls nodded and left. When Dumbledore came and McGonagall explained to him what happened, the rest of the first-years were quickly dismissed, except from Ron. Percy joined them a few minutes later.

“Do you know what’s going on?” Harry asked Hermione.

She shook her head and Teddy felt relieved that he didn’t ask him, because he’d always hated lying to his godfather…

 

The news hit the papers the very next morning. “ _A lost war hero, found alive yesterday at Hogwarts_ ,” the title said. The article explained quickly the situation and stated that an investigation would be held. It ended by telling that several cases would also be reopened included the most infamous one of them on _Mass Murderer_ Sirius Black.

That was at least one thing off the list!

A few days later, the Prophet announced that Sirius Black was to have a new trial; the next day that it was, in fact, the very first trial the man ever had. The previous trial had been adjourned and never set again in 1981. The blame was put on Bartemius Crouch Senior, who was Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at the time.

An investigation was opened over Bartemius Crouch Senior and the series continued when it was discovered that he had helped his son, a renowned Death Eater, escape Azkaban. He had kept him captive under the Imperius Curse in his manor ever since…

This story rang a bell to Teddy. It was probably the Death Eater that pretended to be Harry’s Defence Teacher during the Triwizard Tournament… That was two birds in one shot!

Sirius Black was cleared from all charges during the second week of October. On a side article the same day, they said that Malfoy Manor had been raided and indeed, Draco seemed particularly sulky when Teddy saw him.

It went from bad to worse for Draco. Teddy noticed that he didn’t stay with his friends anymore. He was eating alone when in the Great Hall if he was eating at all. Teddy was feeling a little guilty about that. He wasn’t sure that the raids were linked to the tip he gave Dumbledore about the Diary, but it could very well be… In his time, Draco had always despised his father and rejected everything that came to him. But this Draco seemed more than a little hurt by what was going on. Teddy hadn’t thought that maybe Uncle Draco had loved his father when he was a child…

Teddy was pondering whether he should go and talk to the boy… So far, kid-Draco had been a right git to everyone. He wasn’t sure that his support would be accepted. But on the morning of the 31st of October, the Prophet announced that Lucius and Narcissa Malfoy had been arrested for possession of dark and illegal unregistered artefacts.

Surprisingly, Draco still came to class on that day, more isolated than ever. He was wearing a mask of perfect Slytherin indifference when Teddy saw him for their common Charm Class. The Gryffindor and Ravenclaw first-years were still emptying the classroom when they arrived, so they waited in the corridor. Unfortunately for Draco, this encounter couldn’t go without sharp comments inflamed by House rivalry.

“Hey, Malfoy! Yew father finally got what he deserved, doesn’t he?”

“How does it feel to finally admit the truth?”

“Dad had always known! Always said that the Imperius excuse was bullshit! Always said that the bunch of them were all Death Eaters!”

“Did your mommy tell you that the Dark Lord would be back to cuddle you when you were a child?”

Most Gryffindors were laughing, followed by few Ravenclaws and Hufflepuffs. The Slytherins said nothing, neither participating nor defending their own.

“Don’t worry, Malfoy. It’s only a matter of time before you joined them in Azkaban! Who would want to shelter a Death Eater like you anyway!” Ron mocked loudly.

“Stop that, Ronald!” Hermione interfered. “You’re just being mean! It’s not Draco’s fault if his parents did bad things! I’m sure the foster care system will take great care of you, Draco. No matter what your parents did, the Government and the system will be fair and unbiased. You don’t need to worry.”

She smiled brightly at the blond boy but only received a hateful glare in exchange.

“What do you know, you stupid mudblood?!” Draco exploded. “You know nothing about our world or about my parents! You don’t know anything!”

A long silence followed his stunt. Purebloods and half-bloods raised in the Wizarding World were staring at Draco in shock for his use of the m-word. The muggle-raised understood something went beyond the exclamation of anger because nobody was moving or even breathing.

Professor Flitwick broke the charm as he went through his classroom door.

“What are you doing, kids? The class’s about to start! Off you go Gryffindors and Ravenclaws! Jump in Slytherins and Hufflepuffs!”

Nobody moved until Draco jolted off and took the direction opposite to the Charm Classroom. Everybody watched him, nobody followed. Teddy was surprised that none of Draco’s friend at least tried to help him… It was not right!

“Mister Wolfe?” Professor Flitwick called him.

But Teddy ignored him. As everyone processed to go to their respective class, he decided to follow Draco. The boy was clearly upset and distraught, he couldn’t live him alone! Uncle Draco would never have left him alone in that state!

Draco had retreated in an unused classroom. Teddy was grateful that the Slytherin didn’t go back to his Common Room because he had no idea where it was… well, except that it was in the dungeons, of course. Draco was seating on the floor, next to the teacher’s desk. He had hidden his face on his knees.

“Malfoy?” Teddy called softly, knocking on a wood desk near the boy to make himself known. It was strange to call one of his uncles by his surname, but Draco was a pure-blood and Teddy knew the etiquette.

“What do you want, Wolfe?” Draco snapped after glancing quickly at him. “Here to throw one last rock?”

“Err… no, not really.” Teddy answered. “You just looked like you might need a friend.”

Draco glared at him. “I already have friends.”

“I don’t see them, here…”

“I don’t need your pity, Wolfe.”

Teddy frowned. The kid-version of his uncle was far more difficult to talk to than the adult one. “It’s not pity,” he affirmed and decided to take the first step by sitting next to the Slytherin. “Just put this on me being a Hufflepuff,” he joked reminding how many time Uncle Nev had been mocked at for being genuinely nice with that sentence – well ‘ _fake-Hufflepuff_ ’ in Uncle Nev’s case.

Draco humphed but didn’t argue further. Maybe he did feel lonely after all.

They stayed in silence for long minutes before Teddy found something to say.

“It’s gonna be okay, you know?” he said softly. “I’m sure you won’t go to Azkaban. You’re not like your father…”

Draco eyed him. “What do you know? You’re from a Light family, aren’t you? That means you know nothing about my parents!”

“My family isn’t all Light,” Teddy argued. “My grandmother and my favourite Uncle are from Dark families…” He paused an instant before deciding to add. “And my father was a werewolf, even if he fought for the Light side…”

“Your father is a werewolf?!!” Draco exclaimed looking up at once and moving away from him.

“Was. He died when I was a baby. And he didn’t give me the virus…” Teddy grumbled. “The thing is, I know what’s like to be judged by your parents’ acts – or status, in my case…”

Draco looked at him suspiciously but finally decided to take his previous position back.

Teddy sighed. “Where I came from, almost everyone knew who, or rather what, my father was. And even when he was considered a war hero, people tend to act prejudiced when they think about my lineage.”

“S-sorry...” Draco winced, and Teddy stared at him with round eyes. Did Draco Malfoy just apologize to him?!!!

“It’s… it’s okay. I… Well, I’m kind of used to it, actually…” Teddy said. “If you could just, not talk about it around you, I mean… I haven’t told Harry yet so…” Merlin, Teddy just realized what he had just told to Draco Malfoy! The boy had been a giant git since the beginning of the year! Just because he was feeling sad now, and would be awesome when he grows up, didn’t mean he wasn’t still a git for now!!!

“I won’t tell. I…” Draco started before looking down. “I’m not so sure about not ending up in Azkaban… Weasley is right, you know… no one would take a Death Eater’s child home…”

“That’s not true!” Teddy exclaimed. “You just said you have friends, right? I’m sure the Parkinsons…”

“No, they won’t… Not if Father is really guilty. They won’t want to follow my parents’ steps and attract the public’s eyes… Neither would any of the other families…”

“What about your family? What about your aunt?”

Draco looked at him as if he had just thrown up on him. “She… she’s crazy! Plus, she’s in Azkaban already, you know?”

“Wh…” Teddy started before connecting the dots. “No! Not Bellatrix! Andromeda.”

“The disowned one? I don’t know her…”

“She’s still your mother’s sister. I’m sure she would take you in. She has a daughter who just finished Hogwarts after all! And she was a Hufflepuff! The mother of a Hufflepuff would never turn a lonely child away to sleep in the street!” That was one of the last sentences he really remembered his grand-mother saying. She always told that to Harry when he was coming late from work and she wouldn’t let him leave after he kissed Teddy goodbye. Teddy remembered how it always made him laugh how the woman always treated his godfather as a kid even if, for him, he was very much a grown-up…

“How do you know all that?” Draco asked suspiciously.

“I have an extended family. Even if we lived abroad, my uncle always made sure that I know pureblood families and trees’ connections…” Teddy eluded simply.

Draco seemed to accept this answered and looked away pensively. After a few minutes, he gave a long sigh and hide his face in his knees again.

“I trusted him, you know…” he muttered. “I trusted him when he said he was under the Imperius Curse… When I was a child, I thought that he might have been a spy or something…” Teddy stopped himself from commenting that Draco was still a child and let him continue. “Growing up I understood that maybe he hadn’t had the choice… I mean my Grandfather was a bit… frightening… and… sometimes my father reminds me of him… maybe it’s in our blood… maybe I’m like him…” Draco finished in a frightened voice.

“You always have a choice,” Teddy said in a soft voice moving a little closer to him. “Your parents may have drawn a path for you, you’re the one who will decide to take it or not with all the choices you make growing up. My uncle taught me that. He’s the one from the Dark Family. To be honest, it wasn’t just a Dark family… his father was a Death Eater and he had forced him to take the Mark when he was just 16… he was still a Hogwarts student at the time and he was afraid that something might happen to his family if he refused or failed a mission… Eventually, he betrayed Voldemort and he joined the Light side.”

“Who is it?” Draco asked eagerly.

Teddy looked at him thoughtfully. “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you his name…” he answered apological. “The point is, even if your father really is a Death Eater, it doesn’t mean that you’re one. You’re not a Dark Wizard, Draco.”

Draco looked at him and there was so much hope in his eyes. “How can you be so sure?”

“Well, for starters, you have a unicorn hair wand core which is the most incompatible with the Dark Arts!”

“How…” Draco started before laughing. “You’re definitely related to the American Wandmakers Wolfe!”

“I… I told you I don’t know that!!” Teddy chuckled too. Happy that he managed to make Draco feel a little better.


	6. Making new friends… and enemies

After an afternoon of skipping class together and a dinner taken in the kitchen, Teddy and Draco were more comfortable with one another. They only really learnt what they missed that night the next morning when Hermione ran to Teddy’s arms at breakfast.

“Teddy! You’re okay?? I was so scared yesterday when you didn’t show up for the Feast!”

“Hey, Hermione. Hello to you too,” Teddy smiled gently trying to get out the crushing hug. “I just had a quiet dinner with Draco here. We weren’t so much into being in the crowd…”

“But what about the troll??” Hermione continued.

“What troll?” Draco asked behind Teddy.

“Well, Professor Quirrell came running into the Great Hall and said there were trolls in the dungeons! As you weren’t there, Harry, Ron and I went to search for you. But we ran into the troll on our way and… well, Ron distracted it and Harry knocked it down with a levitation charm… Then the teachers found us and… Well, we weren’t sure you were okay!”

“Well, I am,” Teddy smiled again. “No troll. No worries.”

“That’s a relief,” Hermione smiled back.

Teddy eyed Draco. They talked about his use of the m-word the previous day. Draco grimaced under his insistent gaze. Teddy insisted again, frowning deeply before grinning like the Devil.

“Hermione, Draco had something to tell you,” he introduced.

Hermione looked at the Slytherin, intrigued and a little anxious. Draco didn’t open his mouth, but Teddy pulled him forward and it did the trick.

“I’m sorry for calling you a… a mudblood yesterday. It was inappropriate and uncalled for,” the blond boy muttered.

“Oh…” Hermione answered. “Don’t worry, Draco, it’s already forgotten.”

She was smiling brightly but Draco grimaced a little more, looking away and muttering something undecipherable. Hermione seemed taken aback by this reaction.

Teddy decided to step in when he understood what was going on. “Err… Hermione? There… there is something you should probably learn about the Wizarding Culture. You see, the wizarding society is like old nobility in England and… well, there are some rules on etiquette that… it’s better to follow. For example, you're not supposed to call someone by his or her first name unless they invite you to do so…”

A flash of understanding went through the girl’s brown eyes. “But, we’re just kids…” she started to argue.

“Well, think of it as if you cross Prince William in the street and you just call him ‘ _Will_ ’,” Teddy explained and Hermione immediately grimaced. “I know it’s like… old fashion… but it’s considered good manners in this world, so…”

“I understand,” Hermione nodded. “I’m sorry D-Malfoy. I didn’t know I was being rude…”

“It’s okay…” Draco muttered. “Wolfe’s rude too… I don’t know why he thinks we’re on a first-name basis…” He smirked.

“Whaaat?” Teddy exclaimed. “After we spent an afternoon sharing our darkest secrets???”

“I didn’t share any of my darkest secrets,” Draco snarled.

“Well, I know you had a black kitten named ‘ _Harry_ ’. I find that pretty dark…” Teddy mused and laughed at the face Draco made. Hermione chuckled too. “But if you insist, you can call me Teddy.”

“Wolfe, I’ll kill you!!!” Draco menaced and both Teddy and Hermione laughed harder.

“It’s okay, Malfoy. I won’t tell anyone, I promise.” Hermione smiled at him.

Their discussion was cut short when other Gryffindors entered the Great Hall to have breakfast and started glaring at Draco for talking with Hermione.

“Hey, Malfoy! What are you doing here! We don’t want to see your Death Eater face on that part of the Hall!” A blond second year yelled.

“I think we’ll go to our tables now,” Teddy told Hermione who nodded in agreement.

They left but instead of heading to the Hufflepuff table, Teddy sat next to Draco at the Slytherins’.

“What are you doing?” Draco hissed when eyes turned their way.

“Having breakfast with my friend, why?” Teddy smiled brightly.

“Leave… You’ll get into troubles…”

And indeed, less than ten seconds later, a Slytherin upper year addressed them. “You, the Hufflepuff. What are you doing here?”

“Having breakfast?” Teddy answered innocently. “Oh, sorry. Do you mean to sit here, next to Draco? No problem, I can switch to the other side!” He continued, getting up and sitting on Draco’s other side which was also empty as everyone was still avoiding him in his House.

The older boy sneered and clicked his tongue but didn’t force Teddy to leave. He went back to sit with his friend a little further, sending them dark glares from time to time.

Teddy put some pancakes on his plate as if nothing happened and took a satisfying bite on his buttered bread.

“What the hell are you doing in Hufflepuff…” Draco breathed after a few minutes, once he was sure nothing else would happen.

Teddy only smiled at him before taking another bite.

Later that day, they learned that Professor Quirrell had been removed from the staff because he was ‘ _infected by an insidious parasite_ ’ and was unable to keep teaching. The other professors would take turns to teach his classes and Dumbledore himself would take the NEWT level students.

Teddy was delighted with this news. He finally got to relax and trust Dumbledore with the wizarding world’s destiny! The Headmaster had believed him and took his letter seriously!

 

For the next few days, Teddy had kept on sitting with Draco for meals and during their classes together. Everyone just stopped looking at them after the first couple of days.

That day felt different though.

Earlier, Snape had told Draco that his mother asked to see him. If he agreed, he would take him personally to the ministry next Saturday. Draco asked for some time before giving his answer and had run to Teddy who was just finishing his flying class.

Draco hadn’t been really hard to convince. Of course, he wanted to see his mother. Teddy didn’t really understand what he was hesitating about. He had taken him back to Snape so he could give his answer and Teddy was still shivering from the glare Snape gave him when he saw him with his student.

They went to the Great Hall together for dinner and nobody had argued when the Hufflepuff sat at the Slytherin table, but Teddy couldn’t put Snape’s stare out of his mind.

“Edward, are you sure you’re not getting into troubles because of all this?” Draco asked.

“Stop calling me that… It’s ‘Teddy’,” Teddy sighed. He had tried to correct his friend for the last three days, but Draco was having none of it. “What kind of troubles?”

“It’s your name and… I don’t know… Weasley seems quite upset with you… I thought you two were friends…”

Teddy eyed Ron who was glaring at them from the Gryffindor table. Harry smiled when their eyes ultimately crossed, so he smiled back, and Harry tried to distract Ron over something else.

“Don’t worry. Ron was mad with me before we became friends,” Teddy said looking back at Draco.

“Why?”

“Well… he kind of lost his pet rat because of me…” Teddy grimaced.

“You killed his pet?!!!” Draco exclaimed.

“What?! No!!! I just… Well, I asked McGonagall to try an animagus detecting spell on it and the rat happened to be a real animagus…”

Draco stayed silent for a few seconds before connecting the dots. “Pettigrew was Weasley’s pet rat?!!”

“Shhh!!!” Teddy hushed him. “I’m not sure Ron himself even knows that…” He explained. “The thing is, since I asked McGonagall to test the spell on his rat, Ron lost his only pet and he considers me responsible… Which… I deserve, I guess.”

“That’s stupid! It’s not your fault if his pet rat was a Death Eater in hiding.”

“Hum…” Teddy only answered pensively.

“Maybe you could buy him a new rat?” Draco proposed after a few minutes.

“What?”

“Well, he’s mad because he doesn’t have a pet anymore, right? Maybe you could buy a new one. It’s what my parents did when Harry died.”

Teddy grimaced. “Why did you call your cat that…” he mumbled.

“Sorry,” Draco muttered.

Teddy looked at him and the blond boy genuinely seemed sorry. It made him smile. His favourite uncle wasn’t that far away after all! “It’s a good idea… Maybe not a rat though… Ron always says he’d rather had an owl… But that’s a big gift and… Maybe we should ask his brothers! Come!”

“W-what?!!” Draco tried to protest but Teddy had already grabbed his wrist and pulled him toward the door where the Weasley twins had just disappeared.

Teddy ran into the corridor until he spotted the pair of red-headed near the Clocktower Courtyard.

“George!” He called and both teenagers stopped and turned to them.

They seemed puzzled when they saw Teddy and Draco running to them.

“Hi,” Teddy said out of breath. “I… I’m one of Ron’s friends and… do you have a minute?”

He was looking at George, he didn’t feel that comfortable talking to Fred because of all the forced silence around him he had had to grow with. George seemed intrigued and nodded.

“Thank you,” Teddy smiled. “Well… you see… It’s kind of my fault if Ron lost Scabbers and…”

“Wait,” Fred stopped him.

“You know about Scabbers?” George continued.

“Well, I was the one who asked Professor McGonagall to test the animagus detection spell on him…” Teddy mumbled. “The next day the story about Pettigrew came out and… Well… the thing is, Ron’s been mad at me ever since…”

“Are you sure he’s not mad because you’re friend with a snake?” Fred mocked.

“A very blond snake with family issues~” George smirked.

Teddy frowned and stepped in front of Draco. His move made both third years laughed.

“Oh, calm down little badger!”

“We won’t harm your friend no matter how green and blond he is!”

“You’d better not,” Teddy confirmed with clench teeth.

“Fred! George!” A hurry voice called from behind him. “Don’t harass first years!”

“We don’t harass them~” Fred started grinning.

“We merely play around~” George followed mimicking him.

“Don’t you have better thing to do…”

“… than looking after our beautiful asses…”

“…oh, perfect prefect Percy~” they finished in sync.

Percy Weasley clacked his tongue before looking down at Teddy and Draco.

“You’d better not believe anything these two idiots told you,” he said.

“Hey!”

“We haven’t said anything!”

“Yet…”

Percy sighed and shook his head.

“They’re right,” Teddy confirmed. “I was the one trying to talk to them…”

“Really? What for? Don’t tell me you started selling quiz answers again!!” Percy accused his brothers.

“Oh! It’s right!”

“We did that last year!”

“Maybe we could start the business again!”

“We should ask Bill and Charlie for their notes!”

“Then we could sell to all years!!!”

“That would be glorious!!”

“We’d be soo rich!!”

“I’m still here!” Percy sighed. “I can hear you.”

“Oh, really?”

“What should we do?”

“Steal his notes and sell them so he would be an accomplice if we get caught?”

“Oh, brother of mine, do you know how much I love you?”

Percy was turning as red as his hair and Teddy couldn’t help at laughing. Uncle George had always been funny but that was another level. His laugh made the three red-haired focused back on him though.

“Sorry…” Teddy smiled. “I wasn’t speaking to them because of quiz answer sheets… I… I’m Teddy Wolfe, I’m one of Ron’s friends and I felt responsible for Scabbers’s lost and… Well, I wanted to gift Ron another pet as an apology, maybe an owl and… well, it’s a lot of responsibility so I wanted to make sure it would be okay with your parents first…” He explained in one breath so the twins wouldn’t interrupt him.

“And you ask the twins for a responsible answer?” Percy stated.

“Well, just George, actually…” Teddy muttered, pointing at his teenage uncle.

The three brothers shared a look.

“I’m George,” Fred said.

Teddy stared at him, then at George. “No, you’re not,” he pressed. “Anyway, do you think it would be okay?” he asked Percy.

Both twins seemed startled and Percy had raised an eyebrow but was smirking slightly. “I’ll ask them and let you know,” he answered.

“Thank you,” Teddy smiled. “Oh! Could you not talk to Ron about that? I want it to be a surprise and… well, if your parents say no, he won’t be mad at them… It’s my idea after all…”

There was a long silence before Draco coughed “Hufflepuff…” behind him.

“Hey!” Teddy protested looking at him but when he looked back the three red-headed were smirking.

“No problem.” They confirmed.

 

At first, the Weasley parents refused, stating the there was no reason for Teddy to spend money to replace Scabbers. Teddy first answered that there was no trouble, that he got money. But the Weasleys still refused on their second letter. In the end, Teddy lied and told them he could give Ron one of his godfather’s old owl because he got plenty of them. He said that his godfather was okay with it. In the end, the Weasley parents surrendered. They called out his lie, of course, and told him that he was forbidden from spending more than one galleon on the owl.

Teddy thought that Ron would definitely catch him with how often he had been forced to talk to his brothers because of all those letters. Luckily, the twins had decided to play a game with Teddy, challenging him about who was who each time they crossed him in the corridors. These encounters were a good opportunity to exchange the letters.

In the meantime, Draco had his meeting with his mother and when he came back, Teddy spent the evening trying to comfort him. Draco cried so hard that night… He didn’t really manage to pass down the information about what happened, and Teddy didn’t have the courage to probe.

Teddy was pretty sure Aunt Narcissa had nothing to do with her husband’s activities. She had always been nice to him back in his time… But how could they prove that now? It would be his fault if Draco loses his mother too…

Teddy thought about it all night. He barely slept. He wasn’t prepared when, the next morning, upon going to breakfast, Snape called for him.

“Mister Wolfe, can I have a word,” the Potion Master asked from a dark corner near the Great Hall door.

Teddy shuddered but nodded, following the teacher to his office.

“What is it, sir?” he asked when the door was closed shut behind him.

“Mister Malfoy asked me to tell you he would be missing the next few days of school…”

Teddy looked up at his least favourite teacher. “Oh… Is he okay?”

“Yes…” Snape snarled. “As much as he can be in his current situation…”

A heavy silence settled between them. Teddy wondered if he was done or if he should just leave now. However, the teacher snarled again when he tried to look back at the door.

“It was called to my attention that you became quite close to Mister Malfoy…” Snape said. “Regarding the current situation his parents are in, his mother requested that I look after her only son. May I inquire of your intentions regarding Mister Malfoy?”

Teddy looked up and frowned. “What do you mean? Draco and I are just friends…”

“You became friends after his parents’ situation became known, correct?”

“Y-yes but…”

“Why?”

“I…” Teddy didn’t understand what Snape wanted from him. Draco was just his friend…

“Mrs Malfoy takes the security of her son very seriously…” Snape continued. “Do you know how little information there is about you and your family? Not speaking about your mysterious _Godfather_ …”

Teddy stayed silent. He had nothing to say about that.

“This won’t do Mister Wolfe… _Legilimens_!”


	7. Ricochet

His head was pounding. He was feeling so awful that he thought he could be sick.

“Teddy!!”

Teddy looked up and smiled tiredly at Harry who was running to him.

“Hey!” he greeted him.

Harry gave him a funny look. “What’s wrong? What did Snape want?”

“What?”

“You just got out Snape’s office…” Harry explained. “Are you okay? You look pale…”

Teddy frowned. What did they just talk about with Snape? He knew there was something about Draco but… “Oh… right… Draco will be missing a few days of class and he wanted me to know…”

“Oh… Is he ok? You have been in there for quite a long time?”

“Really?”

“Yeah! I saw you with Snape when I was going to the Great Hall for breakfast and it was… well, like 30 minutes ago.”

Teddy’s frown deepened and it made his headache worse. What did they talk about? He must have zoned out because of the lack of sleep during their conversation because he had no idea.

“Teddy?” Harry called him.

Teddy shook his head. “Sorry Harry… I’m having a headache and I didn’t sleep a lot last night…” he explained.

“Oh okay… Can I do something?”

Teddy looked at his friend who was clearly worried. “Some fresh air would be great,” he offered, and Harry nodded, taking the lead to the courtyard. “How are your headaches by the way?” Teddy asked.

“Better,” Harry said. “I feel like I didn’t have any in weeks!”

Teddy smiled. He knew Quirrell’s disappearance must certainly have something to do with that… Those headaches had been bad enough for his godfather to put them in his night stories, after all…

He suddenly became aware of the stare Harry was giving him.

“What?” he asked him.

“Hum? Oh… I… Well, to be honest, I wanted to talk to you about something…” Harry’s voice was uncertain.

“What is it?” With everything going on with Draco, Teddy hadn’t spent a lot of time with Harry and he was worried he might have missed something important.

“Well… you see… I received a letter… someone who pretends to be my godfather… he says he’s my parents’ friend and he wants to know me… his name’s Sirius Black…”

“Oh…” Teddy answered wondering why Harry wasn’t more excited. “What’s wrong?”

“Well… for starters, I’ve never heard of the man. He could be anyone… And… well, if he’s my godfather and my parents’ friend like he said, where has he been for the last ten years?!! Why didn’t he step out and raise me after their death as your godfather did??? He didn’t even write once until today!”

Teddy stopped and stared at Harry. He hadn’t expected him to be so upset about it. Well, maybe it was a reasonable reaction.

“Well… you know he’s been in Azkaban for the last ten years, right?”

“What’s Azkaban?” Harry frowned.

“The most secured wizarding prison…” Teddy offered.

“Why was he there?”

“Everyone thought that he was Voldemort’s best man and that he betrayed your parents… Yet, he had been condemned without a trial, and had just been released a few weeks ago when new developments proved him innocent… You should really read the papers, Harry…” Teddy sighed. “Come on, they must still have the old Prophets in the Library.”

Teddy changed direction and led Harry. The Gryffindor kept strangely silent. “Where’s Ron?” Teddy asked to make the conversation.

“In the owlery… someone gifted him an owl in the post this morning…” Harry’s voice was sounding playful again and Teddy looked back at him. There was a glint in his green eyes. “The gift was anonymous, but the twins insisted that the owl should be called ‘ _Badgy, the little wolf_ ’ for some reason… something about replacing Scabbers…”

Teddy smiled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about…” he said looking ahead again.

Harry smirked next to him. “You didn’t have to do that…” he said. “But thanks for him… I’m currently working on making him more neutral toward Malfoy…” Draco’s name immediately darkened Teddy’s mood. “How is he?” Harry asked softly.

“Not fine… He went to see his mother yesterday… he was… well, last night was… difficult and… Well, it’s probably why he’ll be missing class…”

“Oh…”

“Here we are,” Teddy announced in a sigh to change the topic. “We should ask Mrs Pince!”

They spent the morning together, digging every article on Sirius Black. Teddy’s headache was more diffused by now. However, when they finished Harry didn’t seem relieved at all.

“Well?” Teddy encouraged him.

“Well… maybe he has a good excuse for not contacting me sooner…” Harry admitted. “But he seemed a little bit like a psycho…” he said looking at one picture taken when Sirius was still in Azkaban.

“He went through a lot,” Teddy said. “Maybe you should give him a chance? It’s just letters, for now, right?” Harry nodded. “No harm in responding then! You’ve nothing to lose after all… and maybe he could tell you more about your parents!”

Harry smiled at that and side-hugged him. “Thank you, Teddy, you’re a good friend.”

“I know. My godfather taught me well! I learnt from the best!!” Teddy laughed and Harry followed him without knowing why until Mrs Pince glared at them to be quiet.

 

On Monday, the Prophet announced that Lucius Malfoy had been sentenced for twenty years in Azkaban for ‘ _Smuggling of Dark Objects linked to Necromancy_ ’ and ‘ _Criminal Association in Connection with a Terrorist Organisation_ ’. He didn’t get a life sentence because it couldn’t be proven that he had actually participated in any terrorist act.

Narcissa Malfoy’s trial would take place on a later date, as her lawyer was still working on an agreement. The article reported that the woman repudiated her husband in public during his trial, accusing him of having put their son’s life in danger.

Draco hadn’t been to class for a week when the Prophet finally announced his mother’s trial result. Her sentence was substantially reduced thanks to her cooperation in other investigations. She only got a month in Azkaban for ‘participation on evidence forgery’ and a fine of a few thousand galleons. The article explained that her cooperation could involve the name of some of her husband’s associates and her access to the Lestrange vault in Gringotts as Bellatrix Lestrange’s proxy ‘ _and only sister – according to the Black family Law_ ’.

 

Draco came back to class on the afternoon of that day, for Slytherin-Hufflepuff joint Charm Class. His eyes were puffy, and he sat really close to Teddy on the bench.

“How do you feel?” Teddy whispered as soon as he saw him. But Draco just snorted and shook his head. He probably didn’t want to talk about it during the class.

During the whole hour, everyone kept on glancing at him. Teddy felt uncomfortable for his friend. The Slytherins looked especially awkward. Something was going on…

As soon as the end of the class rung, Draco grabbed Teddy’s arm and pulled him out of the room. They ended up in a small nook under the stairs.

“Sorry…” Draco muttered letting Teddy’s hand go. He was shaking.

“Hey, Draco? What is it?” Teddy asked kindly taking his friend’s hands back in. But Draco stepped back and shook his head.

“I’m sorry…” he repeated. “I… She said she did it for me but… if she gives one of your relatives’ name and…”

“Draco what are you talking about?” Teddy asked confused.

“My mum. She… You told me some of your relatives were associated with Death Eaters and… I don’t know if they worked with my dad, but… Please don’t hate me if my mum gives their names to the Aurors!” Draco finished so fast Teddy barely got his sentence.

“Oh…” he breathed out. “You don’t have to worry about that Draco, I’ll never hate you.” Teddy smiled. “Plus, my relatives aren’t associated with Death Eaters… well not anymore at least. And… well, there’s no way your mother knew or gives their names anyway.”

Draco looked at him as if he was speaking nonsense. He probably didn’t understand how he could be so sure. Teddy forced himself to keep his smile on.

“You’ve nothing to worry about,” he said again.

“But… they could come for you, you know? My mum… she… what she did is very dangerous, and she asked them to put some safety measure in place to protect me and… Well, now the whole school knows you’re my friend and they could go for you in order to get me and her, and…”

Draco sounded so desperate and Teddy felt a warm feeling at the idea that his kid-uncle-friend was more worried about him than about himself.

“It’s the first time you so clearly assess that I’m your friend”, he noted proudly.

“Of course, you’re my friend!” Draco almost yelled at him.

He was shaking so hard now. Teddy tried again and this time Draco accepted that he took his hands back in.

“I read the Prophet, your mother got out. It’s great, no?” He said with a soft smile.

Draco nodded but Teddy could see that he was fighting against his tears. So, he decided to pull him into a hug and quiet sobs were soon chocked against his robe.

“Shh… It’s gonna be okay…”

“She… she said she’ll be out for Christmas… She told Professor Snape that… that she’ll let him know if she could take me in for a few days then… she… they sent her to Azkaban…” Draco explained between his tears. “What if… what if the Death Eaters there tried to kill her to shut her up?”

“There would be security measures… the Ministry won’t let that happen…”

“Wh-what about dementors...?”

“They probably won’t send her to the high-security levels for a month… Dementors aren’t deployed on all floors, only the higher ones,” Teddy tried to reassure him.

“How… how do you know…?”

“Some of my relatives have the strangest hobbies…” Teddy explained, kindly reminding the Christmas dinners when Aunt Mione would challenge her new law enforcement proposals on his very tired godfather.

Draco seemed to accept that explanation because he stopped talking for a while and only kept on crying in his arms. Teddy didn’t really know what he could say to make him feel better. He had felt so relieved this morning reading the article but everything he could think about sounded insensitive in his head. So, he just stayed there, holding his friend in silence like an idiot.

 

The next few days went by under an edgy spirit on Hogwarts. The Prophet gave the pieces of information sparingly. Not all leads were equally prosecuted, and almost all children from old families had some relatives implicated at one point or another.

Among the most serious ‘ _terrorism cases_ ’, only four were directly related to Hogwarts students: first-year Slytherins Gregory Goyle’s and Vincent Crabbe’s fathers, sixth-year Slytherin Daniel Avery’s uncle, seventh-year Ravenclaw Rupert Burrow’s half-sister. A few others were sentenced to Azkaban but Teddy didn’t really recognize their names in the papers… he might have heard about the Carrows twins… but he didn’t remember where or why.

Draco was very withdrawn during that week. He told Teddy that security measures had been taken inside Slytherin Dungeon. Snape had given them a very long speech about past-generation mistakes that shouldn’t be reproduced, and networking for the future in a changing society… Draco had to switch room, so he no longer shared his dorm with Crabbe and Goyle. He was now sleeping with Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott – whose father would probably be convicted too for corruption but who had assured Draco that he personally wouldn’t take any grudge if that happens.

Yet, Draco was clearly uncomfortable, and Teddy wondered for how long it would continue.

Slytherins aside, some from the other Houses were also verbally bullying Draco at every occasion because of his father. They mostly mocked him for having both his parents in Azkaban.

Thankfully, Ron had quitted taking part in those acts, and Teddy noted how Harry or Hermione seemed to always keep a firm grip on the other First-year Gryffindor and especially, Seamus Finnigan. Ernie Macmillan and Zacharias Smith were the worst amongst Hufflepuff first-year, but Hannah and Susan combined forces to help Teddy defend his friend, so they stopped after a few days too. Teddy didn’t know the Ravenclaws that well but overall, they seemed detached from the whole affair.

Yet, Teddy was feeling responsible somehow… Just like for Scabbers, he had decided to play with the future and now his friend was paying the price. He couldn’t get out of the idea that something was doomed to happen to the blond Slytherin as repayment for Teddy’s actions. He hated that feeling.

So, when Draco didn’t show up for dinner on Friday evening, he just freaked out.

“Have you seen Draco?” he asked Pansy Parkinson and Theo Nott while taking his now usual place on Slytherin table.

Both Slytherin shook their heads. “Not since potion this morning,” Nott answered.

“He said he was taking lunch in the kitchen,” Pansy confirmed. “He didn’t come to Herbology, but you know, he doesn’t really like it so…” she shrugged.

Teddy frowned. Indeed, he had taken his lunch with Draco in the kitchen because Draco needed a quiet place to eat, but then Draco had told him that he was going to the greenhouses. Teddy had Transfiguration so he couldn’t go with him without being late. Why would he lie? Why wasn’t he here??

“Is something wrong?” Tracey Davis asked next to Nott.

Teddy had the worst feeling ever. He jumped to his feet and almost ran to the Gryffindor table.

“Harry!” he called his friend. “I… I need to use the Map! Draco’s not here!” he asked frantically.

Harry looked up confused. “What? What map?”

“The Marauders’,” Teddy said.

“The what? How do you… I… I don’t know what you’re…”

“Listen, Harry,” Teddy cut him desperately. “I know I know I’m not supposed to know but… it’s an emergency! I need the Marauders’ Map to find Draco!”

“I… I don’t know what you’re talking about Teddy and I don’t have a map,” Harry answered looking completely lost.

“You… you don’t have it?” Teddy repeated in utter horror. How? Harry was supposed to have it! Harry promised him he would give him the map when he would go to Hogwarts so he could follow his father’s legacy! The only condition was not to tell Aunt Mione about it… Harry was supposed to have the Map!

“Did you say the Marauder’s Map?” came a voice behind them.

Teddy looked up to the Weasleys twins.

“How do you know about the Map, little Wolfe?” George asked.

“It’s one of Hogwarts’ best guard secret after all,” Fred confirmed.

“Do you know where it is?” Teddy urged them.

“We might,”

“Or might not.”

“I don’t have time for that! Draco’s missing!” Teddy snapped at them.

The twins frowned. A small crowd was now surrounding them as Teddy’s hysterical state attracted attention. Pansy and Nott had followed him from the Slytherin table. Susan was having dinner with Neville at the Gryffindor table. And Hermione had just joined them and was asking Ron what was going on.

“Ok, calm down,” Fred said.

“We’ll help you…” George started.

“But only if you can name the Marauders’ names,” Fred completed.

Teddy glared at them. He had no time for this but the sooner he complied the sooner he could get to Draco. “Moony, Padfoot and Prongs,” he answered confidently.

A flash of surprise went through the twins’ eyes.

“You’re missing one,” George said after a second.

“No, I’m not!”

“Yes, you are. There are four of them.”

Four? What? No, they were… Pettigrew! Harry had ripped Pettigrew’s name out of the Map because he betrayed his parents and… What was Pettigrew’s nickname??? He didn’t have time for this!

“Wormtail,” Harry answered next to him and Teddy almost jumped out of surprise. “It was on Sirius’s letters,” he explained quickly. “He’s Padfoot and my Dad was Prongs…”

“You’re Prongs’ son?!!!” The twins exclaimed.

But Teddy was quicker than them. “Later!” he cracked. “You have your four names. Now, tell me where’s the Map!”

“We didn’t say that we’ll tell you where the Map is,” Fred argued.

“We told that we’ll help you…” George confirmed.

“Guys…” Ron sighed.

The twins exchanged a silent look and nodded.

“Okay,” Fred granted.

“But it’s only because it’s you,” George winked at him before taking something out of his pocket.

Suddenly there was smoke everywhere and the first-years gathered around the Gryffindor table were coughing their lung out.

And the twins had disappeared, Teddy noticed and felt like crying. They were his only chance to find Draco! They were worse than Peeves! He would never forgive them!

“On the 3rd Floor forbidden corridor,” a voice whispered in his ears.

“… that’s where your friend is slithering around…” another similar one continued in his other ears.

“Thanks,” Teddy muttered before running out the Great Hall.

“Teddy, wait!” Hermione called behind him.

He could hear several people running after him and when he looked back, he saw that Harry, Ron, Hermione, Pansy, Nott, Susan and Neville were following him. When they arrived in front of the Corridor’s gate, it was locked.

“I’ll go get a teacher,” Susan said pulling Neville with her.

“Why is it closed??!!” Teddy yelled desperately trying to force the door.

“Move,” Hermione ordered him. “ _Alohomora_!” she spelled distinctly flicking her wand.

The door clicked and slowly opened. Hermione gasped. Six mad angry eyes stared back at them, saliva hanging in slippery ropes from three sets of yellowish fangs.

“Oh crap… Fluffy…” Teddy breathed out.


	8. Dealing with consequences

Fluffy.

The name popped in Teddy’s mind immediately. Why the hell was Fluffy still doing here?!! Dumbledore had Quirrell arrested weeks ago! Fluffy shouldn’t be here anymore.

“Teddy, do you see Malfoy?” Harry asked in a whisper next to him.

Teddy glanced at him and remembered why they were there in the first place. He scanned the corridor, but the Cerberus was so massive, it was hard seeing behind it.

“Dr-Draco?” he called. “Draco, are you here?”

Teddy spotted the trapdoor. Harry had told him this story so many times, it was one of his favourites when he was younger… Draco wouldn’t have gone to the Stone, right? Why would he? How was it even aware of it?

And then it came, passed the three-headed dog’s heavy breathing, a small pleading. “T-Teddy? Is… is that you?”

“Draco?! Where are you??” Teddy couldn’t see, he took a step further but was immediately pulled back by Harry and Nott as one of the gigantic jaws crashed where he would have been standing if they didn’t.

“Are you mad?!!” Pansy hissed behind him. “You’ll get yourself killed!”

But Teddy didn’t listen. He was fighting against Harry and Nott to try and see inside the dark corridor.

Hermione sighed. “Dr- I mean, Malfoy?” she called loudly. “Do you have your wand with you?”

“Gr-granger?! Wh-”

“Do you?!” She cut him out.

“Y-yes!”

“Do you now the Wand-Lighting Charm? Just concentrate on a light at the end of your wand and cast ‘ _Lumos_ ’!”

They waited and then, after a few seconds, a shy glow appeared from the left side of the corridor, a few meters behind the dog. It didn’t shine long though.

“Draco!” Teddy exclaimed.

“What are you doing here?!!” Pansy exclaimed.

“Well… the door was locked… I was hoping to find another one at the other side of the corridor…” Draco mumbled.

“Malfoy, come back here!” Nott called and he cast a Lumos too.

“I… I can’t. The leash it’s… I can’t pass, it wouldn’t let me…” Draco answered.

“How did you get there then?!” Ron said abashedly.

“I… I threw one of my shoes and…”

“Well, do the same thing with the second one!” Harry said back.

“I… I can’t… I… I injured my leg and…”

“Are you hurt?!!” Pansy exclaimed. “Is that bad?!!”

“I… I don’t know… it’s dark and… I think I’m bleeding…”

“M…maybe we should wait for a teacher…” Hermione proposed unsure. “Neville and Susan won’t take long, for sure.”

“We can’t let him there!” Teddy protested. “He’s hurt and Cerberus’s bites are…”

“Come on, Wolfe. If he was bitten by this beast, he’s already dead!” Nott snapped.

No. No, Teddy wouldn’t take it! He wouldn’t leave his uncle and new maybe best friend there for Merlin knows how long! Think, Teddy! Think! How did Harry get pass this? There was a magical harp playing and… That’s it! Music! Music put Fluffy to sleep! But he didn’t have any instrument and…

Draco must have tried something because the Cerberus jumped to his direction and barked loudly. The boy squeaked and let out a small sob.

And they didn’t need an instrument!

“Look for the baaaare necessities, the simple bare necessities, forget about your worries and your strife!” He started singing loudly.

Fluffy looked back at them but Teddy closed his eyes not to be distracted.

“What the h…” Ron started next to him.

“I mean the bare necessities, Old Mother Nature's recipes…That brings the bare necessities of life” he continued and the noises emitting from Fluffy became less menacing and more intrigued.

“Wherever I wander, wherever I roam, I couldn't be fonder of my big home…” and suddenly two other voices followed him. Teddy opened his eyes and looked at Hermione and Harry who were smiling encouragingly at him.

“The bees are buzzin' in the tree, to make some honey just for me…”

They continued with three voices and as they were finishing the chorus again, clapping in their hands, Fluffy started nodding.

Hermione gestured Ron who got the message and quietly went inside the corridor. Nott tagged along and they quickly retrieved Draco. Pansy let out a horrified sound when the blond Slytherin leg came into the light.

Teddy decided to focus on singing. There were steps coming quickly their way from the other side of the door.

“What are you d…” The voice told him that it was Snape, but he must have stopped when he spotted Draco.

They finished the song when they were sure everyone was outside the forbidden corridor and quickly closed the door behind them.

Teddy finally saw Draco and how pale he looked. How long had he been with that beast?! Snape was already attending the wound on his left leg and Madam Pomfrey was hurrying their way with Professor McGonagall.

“What happened?!!” the Transfiguration Professor urged them as the matron took over Draco’s care.

“It’s okay, it’s just a scratch, not a bite,” Snape told her as he let his Slytherin go to focus on the other first years. “Did you three just put a Cerberus to sleep with a Disney song?” he asked them disbelievingly.

“What is ‘ _Disney_ ’?” Ron repeated the unknown word. Pansy and Nott seemed equally confused.

“You don’t know Disney?!!” Harry exclaimed.

“Why does Snape know Disney?!!!” Teddy reacted immediately after him.

“It’s Professor Snape!” Hermione corrected him.

“Thank you, Miss Granger. 5 points from Hufflepuff, Wolfe. If you must know, Disney is a famous muggle animated movie studio. Movies are like up-to-2-hour long animated images. And if you really must know, I know Disney because I happened to have lived amongst muggles for a while and I’m old enough to know the Jungle Book.”

“How old exactly?” Pansy jumped at the information.

“Two points from Slytherin, Miss Parkinson.”

Professor McGonagall took the lead from that point on, asking them what they were doing there and what happened to Draco. Teddy quickly explained, letting out the part about the Marauders’ Map and just stating that he got a tip that Draco might be here when he was not in the Great Hall for dinner.

The not-yet-Headmistress seemed to accept his version well enough, and even if Snape stared at him suspiciously, he didn’t argue. The two adults exchanged a few words and agreed that Snape would go check on Draco in the Hospital Wing while McGonagall would go tell Dumbledore about the situation.

The first years stayed silent, not knowing what was expected of them. When the teachers left, they agreed that they had no reason to stay here either.

Now that the adrenaline was gone, Teddy felt shaken. His legs were so numb he wondered how he could still stay on his feet. It had been so close… Draco shouldn’t have faced Fluffy. His Uncle Draco hadn’t even known about the Cerberus until he heard Teddy’s night story a few years back… Was it his fault? Because he messed with the future? Would his friends and loved ones pay the price for the lives he was trying to save??

“I’m going to the Hospital Wing,” Teddy said to whoever was interested.

It was his fault… it was definitely his fault…

“I’m coming with you…” Harry called after him.

Teddy didn’t really notice but Harry caught him up quickly. When they arrived in the Hospital Wing, Madam Pomfrey was bandaging Draco’s leg. The blond boy was wincing each time she had to move his leg.

“Again, Mister Malfoy, I need to know the name of the students who locked you in there…” Snape was snaring.

“… I told you… I went there by myself…”

“And you locked yourself in, with a Cerberus, by yourself too?!!”

Draco looked away and decided not to answer that question. He shuddered suddenly, hissing a second later and making a gesture to stop the matron’s hand on his injury. He didn’t finish his gesture though and looked down, clenching his teeth.

“Sorry…” the woman told him gently.

That was when Draco noticed Teddy and his face lit up before frowning deeply when he realized Harry was with him.

Madam Pomfrey was finishing with his leg and was now focusing on the Slytherin Head of House. “Come on, Severus. The boy is exhausted. Can’t you wait until tomorrow to harass him?”

The Potion Master snarled at her and turned around. He froze when he saw Teddy and snared at Harry before continuing, his robe whirling behind him as he left the room. The matron sighed heavily. “I’m sorry boys, I won’t admit visitors tonight. Mister Malfoy needs rest,” she told the two first-year visitors.

Teddy opened his mouth to protest but choose not to and looked down at his shoes instead. It was already his fault if Draco was here, he couldn’t risk making it worse by preventing him to rest and heal properly.

“Please, Ma’am. We won’t be long…” he heard Harry plead next to him. “Please… Poppy.”

Teddy looked at him, surprised. Draco stared equally astonished from his bed.

“Wh- You’ve been in touch with your godfather, haven’t you?” the matron scolded.

Harry smiled. “He sends his regards.”

She sighed dramatically.

“Fine, Mister Potter. You have five minutes.”

“Thanks, Pop…”

“Call me that one more time and I ask Severus to give you detention for a week,” Madam Pomfrey cut him.

Harry raised his hands in surrender, but his mischievous smirk couldn’t be mistaken. The matron shook her head disbelievingly as she left the main floor to do some paperwork in her office.

“I’m waiting for you outside,” Harry told Teddy. “You scared the shit out of him, be nice,” he then told Draco before leaving too.

The Hufflepuff stayed alone with the Slytherin. A heavy silence fell upon them.

“How is your leg?” Teddy eventually asked awkwardly.

“Okay, I guess… She said it should be healed by tomorrow… shouldn’t scare and all…” Draco mumbled, looking down. “Sorry for worrying you…”

“Don’t!” Teddy exclaimed, finally coming closer and sitting on his bed next to him. “Harry was just joking, I…” But the lie didn’t make it through his lips. Of course, he worried, he had immediately thought about the worst… “Ok… I might have freaked out a bit when you weren’t in the Great Hall and Pansy told me that you missed Herbology too…”

Draco winced. “Sorry… I should have been more careful… How do you find me?”

Teddy opened his mouth to answer ‘ _the Map_ ’ but his brain caught him up just in time. Kid-Draco didn’t know about the Map yet… Oh, Merlin! Harry didn’t either and George and his twin would never let this go!! They would ask so many questions!! What should he do? He had to think about a good explanation. A lie… He hates to lie! He hates to lie to Harry above all!!!

“Teddy?” Draco asked him, putting a light hand on his.

Teddy looked up to his uncle’s worried silver eyes. “I… Someone… someone told me… It was just a lucky guess…” It was just luck really! Hadn’t the Twins listened to what Harry and he were talking about… Teddy thought he knew everything but obviously, he didn’t! He made a mistake and he almost found his friend too late, and… It was his fault for messing with the future! All of it was his fault! “I’m sorry, Draco… I’m so sorry…” he started to sob.

He was messing everything. He almost did it again with Fluffy… If he had chosen any other song like ‘ _Hakuna Matata_ ’ or ‘ _A whole new world_ ’, Hermione and Harry would have guessed. He remembered clearly the day his friends in Elementary School discovered that he hadn’t seen any Disney movie, ever. He had come back that evening and asked Harry. That’s how they launched their traditional Disney Sunday Afternoon with almost the whole Weasley family. Great Uncle Arthur had raid Aunt Mione with questions as she and Harry were setting up a TV and DVD player. The two muggle-raised had been commenting about how the technology had changed since the ’80s. Aunt Mione told him how she was supposed to go and see _The Beauty and The Beast_ with her parents during the Christmas Holidays of her 2nd Year but didn’t get to because of the Polyjuice accident… _The Little Mermaid_ was the last _Disney Classics_ she saw before Hogwarts. Of course, _The Jungle Book_ ’s songs were the ones Harry and Aunt Mione sang more often around the house after they rewatched the movie with him, but it definitely wasn’t the most renown movie among his school friends… He just had been lucky again!

“Hey, Teddy? What’s wrong? What are you apologizing about?”

Draco was squeezing his hand, but Teddy couldn’t stop crying. He was sick of that. He wanted to go home, to see his real uncles and aunts… And now the kid version of his Uncle Draco almost died because of him. Because he had been careless!! He didn’t want to bare so many responsibilities! He was just 11!!!!

“I’m sorry Draco… It’s… it’s my fault… I… I should have… I… I should have been more…careful… I… I didn’t think that… I’m sorry Draco… I’m so sorry…”

“What are you talking about? Did you send those 2nd years after me?”

“What?!! NO! Of course not!!” Teddy jolted up, horrified that Draco could think something like that of him. “I… It’s just that I shouldn’t have left you alone… I knew I shouldn’t have left you alone… You could have died and it’s… it’s my fault if…” He couldn’t say it. He couldn’t admit to Draco that he was the one who sent his parents to Azkaban. He wasn’t that brave…

“Teddy…” Draco sighed. “Edward, look at me.” He waited for Teddy to comply before continuing. “I’m alright, I’m here. You saved me, you hear me? You have nothing to blame yourself about.”

“R-really?” Teddy repeated trying to swallow his sobs.

Draco smiled tenderly and nodded, opening his arms wide. Teddy didn’t need more to launch himself into his friends welcoming embrace. He felt like he really needed a hug after all.

“I’m glad you’re okay…” he whispered.

“I’m glad you looked for me,” Draco answered in the same tone.

They stayed like that so long Teddy was pretty sure their ten minutes were long passed.

“What happened, really?” Teddy asked when he felt calm enough to straighten up. “What didn’t you tell Snape about those 2nd years?”

Draco eyed him and shook his head. “If I talk, there would be an inquiry and they would tell my Mum or maybe even the Prophet… I don’t want to worry her…”

“But Draco, they could have killed you!” Teddy protested.

“They didn’t, though…”

Teddy pinched his lips. Draco sounded very much like Harry right now! It was unsettling even if Teddy knew the two boys would grow up to be very close friends…

“Could you tell me their name? I won’t tell the teachers! It’s just…” Teddy trailed off.

Draco stared at him with wide eyes. “I didn’t know that Hufflepuffs condone revenge…” He laughed when Teddy looked back at him.

“I was on my way to the greenhouses when I came upon a group of Gryffindor-Ravenclaw 2nd years going to their Charm class… They said they had some time to kill so they should do some community service by getting rid of the _Death Eaters’ trash_ … It’s that blond posh obnoxious kid from Gryffindor… McLagan? I think his uncle works at the Ministry with my dad or something…” Draco’s mood darkened slightly when he mentioned his father. “There was also Belby, the Potion Master’s nephew and two other boys from Gryffindor… I don’t know their names but that’ll be easy enough to find… Ah, there was also the Asian girl from Ravenclaw, Cheng or something, and her friend, the short one with curly, reddish-blonde hair? They didn’t do anything but… well, they didn’t stop the boys either… I reckoned one of them even giggled at their jokes…” Draco shook his head. “Anyway, I don’t want you to go for them, you hear me? To be honest, I was just glad that they didn’t go after you and went for me directly! I’ll let some Slytherin upper years know … There’ll be retributions…”

Teddy nodded. He knew some of the Slytherin rules from his adult-Uncle Draco. Slytherin was a united house, they always paid back their debts…

“Well, if they need any help, tell me. Badgers don’t forgive so easily and I’m sure I can convince the Weasley twins to help too…” Teddy mumbled.

He wished he could have stayed longer but Madam Pomfrey was back and expelled him out the Hospital Wing.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I had to skip last week posting because life wouldn't let me do it... But we are back on track! I even finished writing Teddy's First Year this weekend so no worry about the future of this fic!
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this new chapter and please tell me your thoughts about my story! 
> 
> See you!


	9. Christmas Preparations

The next morning, everybody knew about the Cerberus and Muggle-raised’s secret song that put the monster to sleep.

Dumbledore had to make a special statement to the Prophet saying that the Cerberus was a security measure that was waiting Christmas Holidays to be taken out of the Castle. The corridors would be locked with stronger charms from now on.

Teddy started to pointedly avoid George and his twin… He didn’t want to give them the occasion to ask him about the Marauders’ Map. Harry never asked about it either and the matter seemed to have been buried nicely.

The sweet revenge happened less than a week after.

For two days, every time McLaggen or Belby opened their mouth to say something, they yelled “I think I’m important because my uncle does something with his life, but I’ll never be the heir!” and they friends would immediately warble “Hay, hay that! We’re betting on the wrong horse!”.

Madam Pomfrey didn’t manage – or chose to pretend that she didn’t manage – to lift the spell so they stayed as they were until the charm wore off on its own.

Everybody knew why the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw 2nd years were targeted, but, since Draco was still refusing to press charges, the teachers didn’t take points or other disciplinary actions – except letting the Slytherin revenge happen.

November turned into December and Narcissa Malfoy was finally out of Azkaban. Draco had been so nervous when he received her first letter that he asked Teddy to read it for him. She was mainly saying that she was okay, albeit a little tired, and she had a lot of things to do to put everything back in order. She told Draco that she wouldn’t be able to have him home for the whole two weeks of Holidays. She had asked Snape if Draco could stay in Hogwarts for most of it and only floo home for four days between Yule and Christmas.

Draco had been a little shocked by that request. He had stayed silent for the whole day until Hermione joined them in the library and he agreed to let Teddy tell her about what was going on.

“Maybe it’s just because she’s still tired from the imprisonment? She doesn’t want you to stay alone in the house if she needs to sleep more or… Well, my Mum doesn’t like to have me around when she’s sick, she said it’s because she doesn’t want to worry me,” Hermione analysed.

“Really?” Draco asked hopefully. “I… she has never really been sick but… yeah… you must be right…”

Later, Draco would admit to Teddy that he was afraid that the dementors changed something in his mother and that she maybe didn’t like him anymore because he looked so much like his father… No matter how many times Teddy told him that there was no way that could be true, he could see that there were still some doubts in his friend’s eyes.

It was during breakfast a few days later that Draco brought the subject back on the table.

“Edward? Do you think I could stay with you and your godfather for the holidays instead of Hogwarts? Nobody is staying in my dorm and…”

A heavy stone settled in Teddy’s stomach. “I… I don’t…”

“Of course, I know you’ll have to ask first and…” Draco cut him. “Well, do you think he would agree? I’m sorry… I just assumed that he doesn’t have any issue with my… family… because of the way you talk about him… But if you think it would be complicated, you don’t have to…”

“No! No, Draco. I’m sure he would agree but… I’m not… going home for Christmas…”

“What?! But you miss the guy so m…”

“I’m staying here,” Teddy stopped him abruptly. He looked down. He didn’t want to think about that… about the fact that he would probably never go home ever again…

“Oh…” Draco said disappointedly before noticing the change in Teddy’s mood. “I’m sorry, Teddy. I didn’t…”

But he was cut out by Harry who called Teddy’s name from behind them.

“Good morning, Teddy!”

“’Morning Harry,” Teddy forced a smile and Draco’s face froze.

“Malfoy,” Harry acknowledged but the Slytherin didn’t answer him, so he just shrugged. “Do you mind if I borrow Teddy for a few minutes? I need to talk to him…”

Teddy got up without waiting for Draco’s permission – because really, he didn’t need Draco’s permission – and followed Harry out the Great Hall.

“Is everything okay?” Harry asked worriedly.

Teddy nodded. “Yes, don’t worry… Is it a letter from Sirius?” he asked to change the subject pointing the letter Harry was holding.

It was Harry’s turn to nod. “Yup… He… Come here, I need to seat,” he said pulling Teddy’s to the bench next to a nearby window. “Well… last time I told him that I wasn’t going to the Dursleys for Christmas and… Well… He… he just asked me if he could take me out to Hogsmeade sometime during the Holidays… Of course, he’ll need McGonagall’s permission, but…”

He stopped there and Teddy stared at him. “But what?” the Hufflepuff encouraged him.

“But I don’t know if it’s a good idea!” Harry admitted. “What if he doesn’t like me? Or I say or do something that… He’s a wizard and he knows my parents so well, what if I’m not like them and I disappoint him???”

Teddy blinked. What was up with 90’s kids and their fear not to be liked by their parents?! “Harry, he’s your godfather…”

“Not all godfathers are as great as yours!” Harry protested pointedly.

And Teddy had to repress a laugh. So much for his godfather’s legendary modesty!

“Harry, you’ve been exchanging letters with the man for what? Two months? And lately, I swear I feel like Hedwig brings you another one twice a day! How is he in his letters?”

“Uh… fine, I guess… He tells me a lot about my parents… especially my father and… well, he’s nice, I guess… But, it’s not the same!”

“How is it not the same?”

Harry stared at him as if it was obvious but when Teddy didn’t change his statement, he sighed.

“I think I’m just scared…” Harry admitted.

“Obviously,” Teddy answered him, over-articulating which ended up sounding very much like Snape and they both laughed. “Do you want to meet him?” Teddy finally asked.

“Yes… I guess… but…”

“It’s going to be okay, Harry. I’m sure you two will bond quickly.”

“Hum… Teddy?”

“Hum?”

“Do you think… do you think I can ask him to bring a friend with me? I’m not that comfortable being alone with an adult I don’t know…” Harry was now muttering and avoiding his eyes.

“Well, I can’t answer for him – because obviously, you know him more than I do. But I can’t see why not… I’m sure Ron will be thrilled to go to Hogsmeade…”

“I wasn’t thinking about Ron…” Harry said pointedly. “I’m sorry… I heard what you told to Malfoy… You’re staying here too?”

Teddy’s shoes were suddenly his main interest.

“I guessed so…” Harry nodded next to him and Teddy looked up. “You didn’t answer when Hermione asked about it last time and… Well, I know the feeling. Your godfather is busy working again?”

“I don’t want to talk about it…” Teddy muttered feeling the sudden need to isolate himself.

“Ok… Sorry. Well, I don’t know him but I’m sure he’s feeling down about it too!” Harry declared to close the subject, jumping to his feet and giving Teddy a hand.

Teddy smiled slightly and accepted it. He didn’t expect to end up in a tight hug. “Is it bad if I tell you that I’m happy that you stay at Hogwarts with me?” Harry whispered in his ear.

Teddy chuckled. “It’s certainly insensitive and worthy of Ron’s teaspoon emotional range…”

Harry chuckled back but Teddy couldn’t deny that he still managed to make him feel better about the whole situation.

He’ll be okay. He had already far too many Christmas presents to find for the kid-versions of his uncles and aunts to think about the adult ones!

 

Teddy hardly had time to see the end of the term came with how many exams he had. He wasn’t used to it. It was far worse than Elementary School! And suddenly, almost all the students were gone to Hogsmeade station.

Draco left with them and was to come back on December 26. Harry had got the permission to go to Hogsmeade meet his godfather on the 25th. McGonagall would get him to the meeting point and pick him up by dinner time. Ron and the other Weasleys were sulking about how their parents would rather go see their 2nd eldest son in Romania than spending Christmas with the four youngest who hadn’t seen them for four months… And Teddy finally managed to set his last owl order!

He got a bottomless and weightless schoolbag for Hermione, a new Wizarding chess set for Ron, a book on Zonko’s history and tips for success for George, training snitches for Draco and for Harry! He also bought less personal presents for his other friends. Susan and Nott would receive a box of limited-Edition Chocolate frogs, and Neville and Pansy some exotic plants.

Teddy still had a hard time not to think about his real godfather, uncles and aunts when he was ordering his presents. Sometimes he wondered how time was working… Was the future kept going on while he was gone and if he went back now, it would be Christmas there too? Or was it still July and he would be back at the same time as he disappeared? Did his godfather even know he disappeared? Was he looking for him? Should he be looking for a way to go back?

The first days of the holidays were spent between playing gobstones, chess, snowball battle and – since Harry insisted – flying around the Quidditch Pitch… They somehow managed to convince Professor McGonagall that Teddy could sleep on Gryffindor Tower on the 24th because he would be alone in his dorm otherwise. And Harry woke them up at 6 A.M. on the next morning because he got presents, _can you believe it??_

Ron growled so loud at the early hour that Teddy couldn’t stop laughing – which resulted in him being very much awake to join Harry.

Teddy got more presents than he thought he would. Draco had bought him an illustrated edition of _The Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ ; Hermione found a book on muggle celebrities who were secretly wizards and witches where it was stated that Walt Disney was a squib; Harry bought him a book on latest potion discoveries and Ron… well Ron didn’t give him anything but he did receive a Weasley jumper from Great-Aunt Molly and the red-haired boy admitted that he told her about Teddy – and Harry since obviously, Harry got his own Weasley jumper. Then Teddy also got a lot of sweets from his other friends, even from Hagrid and Tom the bartender who was asking how he was doing since last summer.

Then, Harry opened the package containing his Invisibility Cloak and Ron started bursting about it until the twins barged into the room.

“Yeah!! Look like we have two new little brothers!!” They declared forcing their jumper upon Harry’s and Teddy’s heads.

“Hey, Little Wolfe! I need to talk to you!!!” Fred said glaring at him. “How come you gave this awesome gift to my little brother and nothing for me!”

“I’m not your little brother…” George sighed. “Thanks for the book, Teddy. It’s promising!” he winked at him.

“I was born first!! And it’s unfair!!!” Fred moaned.

“Well, we can’t know for sure about that…” Percy interrupted, entering the room. “The parents were pretty sure they might have mixed you two up a lot when you were toddlers… Nobody knows for sure who’s born the first…”

“What??!!”

“WHAAATTTH?!!!!”

And then the twins were off Teddy’s back and on Percy’s.

At 11, Harry met with Professor McGonagall at the entry gate.

“Are you sure you can’t come?” Harry pleaded again.

“I told you Mister Potter, Mister Wolfe failed to provide the authorization sheet from his guardian. Feel lucky I didn’t give you detention for trying to forge it! I cannot let him out the gates,” McGonagall sighed. She had already told them that at least ten times since Harry first asked.

“It’s okay, Harry,” Teddy smiled at him. “You don’t need me to have a good time with your godfather…”

“He’ll be disappointed. I told him a lot about you, and he wanted to meet …”

“He’ll be too busy getting to know you to miss me… and so will you!”

“Well said Mister Wolfe, two points for Hufflepuff,” McGonagall approved.

“I’m pretty sure you can’t give or take points during the holidays, Professor,” Teddy mused. “I’ll have to owl Hermione about that!”

“That you do,” McGonagall nodded. “Let’s go, Potter.”

“But…”

But Teddy was already leaving, pretending to be heading to the owlery. He didn’t go there, however. He just wandered around, enjoying the silence away from the Weasley twins. It’s true it was a little mean not to get Fred anything, but Teddy didn’t know him as well as George and… well, to be honest, he tended to forget about him… That was really mean… He should have asked Harry to get him something from Zonko’s since Sirius would definitely bring him there… Maybe he could owl something quickly and get it before tonight?

As he was wandering around, Teddy found himself attracted to an empty classroom. He wondered why he was there when his eyes set upon an ancient, ornate mirror. It has clawed feet and a gold frame inscribed with the phrase ‘ _Erised stra ehru oyt ube cafru oyt on wohsi_ ’. Teddy immediately understood what it was, but he couldn’t stop himself from stepping in front of the mirror to look at it.

There he was, smiling with his real adult-version godfather hugging him tightly from behind. Adult Uncle Draco had set a hand on his shoulder and was looking at him with pride in his eyes. So were Aunt Mione and Uncle Ron, holding baby Rose in his arms. Victoire was waving at him from behind, next to her parents and Uncle George. They were all there. All smiling and waving at him.  
‘ _I’m so proud of you my little wolf _,’ he read on his godfather’s lips.__

__And without a warning, Teddy’s legs gave in and he slipped to the ground crying. His godfather sat on the ground next to his reflexion and proceeded to rock him slightly as if he was trying to comfort him. It made it worse and Teddy started sobbing loudly._ _

__“I want to go home…” he muttered. “I want to go home…”_ _

__He didn’t know how long he stayed there, repeating the same plead over and over again._ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, Teddy...


	10. New Term

When the Weasley twins found him sometime during the afternoon, Teddy was still crying silently on the floor in front of the Mirror.

“Hey, Little Wolfe!” came teenage-Uncle George joyful voice. “Where have you been?”

“We were about to go outside for a snowball battle, wanna come?” the slightly similar voice of Fred continued.

“Little Wolfe?”

“Teddy?!!”

“What’s wrong?????”

And suddenly, Teddy was caught in a tornado of red hair and concerned lookovers as he was pathetically trying to dry his face enough to pretend the twins might not have noticed his tears.

“Are you okay?”

“What are you doing here?”

“What happened to your hair?!!”

“Did someone attack you?”

“Who was it?!! Just tell us, they’ll pay!”

The way the twins fussed around him reminded him so much of Great-Aunt Molly that he chuckled sadly. And then, focusing a little more, he noticed that his hair had turned pitch black, just like Harry’s. Aunt Ginny hated so much when he looked like Harry… yet, he missed Harry so much…

And without managing to get hold of himself, he sobbed, miserably giving in to a new attack of tears.

“Hey, don’t cry! We’re here now,” George hushed him quietly while putting a comforting arm across his shoulders.

“What’s this mirror?” Fred asked a few minutes later from above them.

Teddy dried his tears on the sleeve of his Weasley jumper. “The Mirror of Erised, it shows the most desperate desire of a person's heart…”

“Wicked…” Fred smiled. “Well, brother mine, we’ll own our very own joke shop very soon! And it’d be glorious!”

“Of course, we will, little bro…” George smiled too.

“And we’d call it…”

“Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes” they announced in synch, not expecting Teddy to mouth the name at the very same time.

The twins shared a look and the very same wicked smiled bloomed on both their faces.

“Look at that Little Wolfe…”

“Have you been spying on us?”

They placed themselves next to each other and stared at him with identical scrutinizing eyes.

“Once again you know way too much for a Hufflepuff…”

“Are you sure the Hat hasn’t missorted you?”

Teddy chuckled. Why did everyone underestimate Hufflepuffs like that?!! Did he really need to be from another house to be awesome?!

“Look at you, beaming like a Gryffindor!”

“Knowing everything like a Ravenclaw!”

“And protecting your secrets like a Slytherin!”

“No! Definitely! You should be a Dumbledore!!” Fred and George declared.

And this time, Teddy actually laughed and eventually overcame his depressive state of mind. They were goods! It was more and more difficult for him to think about his Uncle George without his newly discovered twin brother.

Teddy took the decision to not let himself go like that again. He focused on that resolution before getting up and taking a few steps away from the Mirror.

“Ah! The spell is draining out!” Fred said nodding at Teddy’s hair as the Hufflepuff first-year was forcing them to light brown and a more controlled cut.

“Who put that charm on you, anyway?” George asked running his hand into Teddy’s messy raven hair.

Teddy shook his head to dismiss his question and force him to let go.

He didn’t like people to know that he was a Metamorphmagus… It’s not as if Metamorphmagi suffered from specific discriminations or anything but… well, the ability was still quite rare, and people tended to have loads of requests once they knew… It was tiresome… Not mentioning that it could be linked back to his mother and so jeopardized his cover… If his calculation was right, she just left the school the year before so the twins might know her or about her gift…

“You talked about a snowball fight?” He asked to change the subject.

Luckily the twins took the bait and started explaining to him who was playing and when they planned to meet. The three of them walked together throughout the corridors while lively debating the best strategy to go about the upcoming snow fight.

“Guys…” Teddy stopped them just before they went outside. “Could you… not tell Harry about… well…” He looked down. “Well… about how you found me…”

The twins stayed silent for endless seconds which was not really like them.

“Little Wolfe…”

“Keeping secrets is okay when it’s for a good joke…”

“But it’s never good when it means suffering alone.”

Teddy clenched his teeth. He didn’t want to worry Harry. Harry was with his long-lost godfather and was happy… he didn’t have any right to spoil that…

“Your friends are already worried about you…” George said as if reading in his mind.

“Harry thought you looked off lately and asked us not to pester you about your… How could we say, brother mine?” Fred asked looking up to his brother.

“Peculiar knowledge?” George offered.

“Yup. Peculiar knowledge about the Marauders’ Map…”

Teddy froze. Shit, he had rehearsed his lie a few weeks back but since the questions never came, he kind of lost it…

“We won’t ask,” George said with a soft amused smile. “This secret is okay to keep…”

“But you shouldn’t hide to your friend how you feel…”

“There’s nothing to be ashamed about…”

“Homesickness is very common in Hogwarts, especially around First-years…”

“We personally never experienced it because we would always have each other or some other brothers around…”

“But we get it…”

“Merlin, Lee had cried himself to sleep for 3 months during 1st Year! Do you remember??”

“It was dreadful!!”

“Had to convince Charlie to put a silencing charm on his bed so we can sleep!!!”

“And we won’t even start about Diggory!! Hufflepuff’s Golden Boy!”

“He was such a ‘ _Mama’s boy_ ’! Always whining because House-Elf meals didn’t compare to his mother’s recipes…”

“Soooo dreadful…”

Teddy chuckled. He knew that nowadays Cedric Diggory had helped most of his housemate to settle in… But he didn’t feel like he could confide to anyone… They would just tell him to write home… And that… That was not an option for him…

“Just remember that you’re not alone, okay?” George cut his thread of thoughts.

Teddy didn’t know what to tell them, and before he could find anything to say, another voice cut him out.

“Hey! What are you doing??? We’ve been waiting for you for hours!!!!!” Ron yelled from the outside.

“And so, what? Did you miss us, Ickle Ronnikins???” Fred called out grabbing a handful of snow from the nearest window.

“D-don’t call me that!!!!” Ron protested and then squealed when Fred’s snowball almost hit him.

And before they knew it, the biggest snow battle Hogwarts had ever known began…

 

Harry came back after dinner that night, as Teddy and Ron had settled in Gryffindor Common Room to play Wizarding Chess while eating Chocolate Frogs.

“How did it go?” Teddy asked when Harry sprawled on the sofa next to him.

A smile of utter happiness sprouted on his friend’s face before their eyes met.

“It was awesome!! Sirius is soooooo cool! He knows everything about Hogsmeade!! We went to Honeyduke and Zonko’s and… Ah! Before I forget…” He stopped himself, emptying his pockets from tons of candy on the coffee table. “Some supply for the rest of the holidays…” he explained.

Ron didn’t need anything else to ditch out the chess board and grabbed the nearest liquorice wand.

Teddy smiled at his kid-godfather. “You two hung out just fine, then?”

“Yup! It was just as you said. Sirius is even funnier in real life than in his letters…”

“That’s great,” Teddy said.

Harry nodded with the brightest smile. “There’s more,” he said before straightening up a little. “You see… he… he asked me why I wasn’t going home to my Aunt during the Holidays and… well… when I told him that they wouldn’t really want to have me for Christmas… he… he asked me if I would like to go and live with him… He said he wanted to be sure I was okay with the idea before asking for my custody at the Ministry…”

Teddy blinked. That… that would change things… that would change everything for Harry! He could… He could finally have the family he deserved!!!

“And what did you say?” Ron asked with a full-mouth.

Harry darted at him quickly before looking back at Teddy as if he was waiting for some reaction from him. Teddy already knew the answer to Ron’s question, of course.

“Oh Harry,” he beamed. “Harry, I’m so happy for you…” he said honestly. And he couldn’t resist hugging his friend tightly.

Harry chuckled against his shoulder and hugged him back.

“He said he’ll start the administrative procedure at the Ministry right away. He still has some therapy to do because of the time he spent in prison, and apparently, his London house also needs a good make-over. But he’ll make sure to have everything done before Summer!” Harry answered Ron from Teddy’s arms.

Teddy hugged him tighter. He couldn’t get enough of his godfather’s scent. It almost hadn’t changed over the years – dust, broom polish, treacle tart… and today a lingering scent of wet dog which probably came from Sirius…

“Hey, Teddy? Are you okay?” Harry asked softly.

“Hum… Just needs this a little more…” Teddy mumbled against his friend’s shoulder.

“O-okay…” Harry chuckled.

Teddy didn’t know how long he stayed like that in Harry’s arms, but at some point, Ron made a snarky remark.

“You’re acting strange, mate… Have you been switched with Hermione or something?”

“Leave him be, Ronnikins,” one of the twins’ voice scolded.

“He’s a Hufflepuff…”

“Hufflepuff needs hugs…”

“…Or they died.” both twins declared in synch.

“What?!!!” Ron exclaimed.

“Strange creatures really, those Hufflepuff…”

Teddy groaned and straightened up. Harry was looking at him with a gentle smile on his face. Teddy was looking for a plausible explanation for his behaviour, but Harry spoke first.

“Thank you, Teddy.”

“Wha-why?”

“For convincing me to give Sirius a chance. It’s all thanks to you, really.”

“Nonsense. I’ve done nothing… But I’m still happy it worked out…”

“Thank you… really,” Harry said before hugging him again. “I hope it’ll work out for you too…” he whispered in Teddy’s ear.

Teddy nodded. Seeing his kid-godfather so carefree and happy was worth all the loneliness of the world.

“I don’t care if he’s a Hufflepuff… It’s weird, guys…” Ron sighed before taking a new liquorice wand.

 

When Draco came back, Teddy moved out of Gryffindor Tower and back to Hufflepuff dormitory. When Teddy told Draco about where he had spent the nights of the first half of the holidays, the Slytherin rushed to his Head of House and tried to convince him to do the same. Snape was having none of it as the Slytherin’s Common Room was supposedly secret. However, Sprout was easier to win over, and Draco ended up in Hufflepuff dorm with Teddy. They even invited Nott to join them when he came back early too.

They organized the greatest sleep-over ever in the Hufflepuff Common Room. Harry and Ron were invited too, and Teddy had obtained marshmallow and Nutella from Hogwarts House Elves. Harry and Teddy spent most of their evening rolling on the floor laughing as the pureblood kids were discovering the wonders of Nutella spread over hot bread and grilled marshmallows over the fireplace.

During New Year’s Eve, they had a feast in the Great Hall and as the teachers’ hands were becoming lighter on the Firewhiskey, the twins tried to bribe Professor Flitwick into teaching them his signature firework spell.

Once again, Teddy’s evening had been full of laughers. Apparently, Sirius had taught Harry a hair colour changing spell and he used it on Draco who was rightly pissed. When Teddy decided to finally test his confetti levitation charm, the Slytherin had the wonderful idea to send a sticking charm on Harry’s jumper and Harry ended up as colourful as Draco’s hair. Professor McGonagall tried to scold them, but Nott suddenly put a handful of catnip out of his pocket and throw it on Ron, permanently distracting the stern professor. When the Transfiguration Professor eventually succumbed to the urge of hugging the youngest Weasley tightly, even Percy couldn’t stop himself from laughing and Teddy was pretty sure he saw Snape’s lips’ corner tweak slightly… Not that the Potion Master would ever admit it did!

 

The end of the holidays came too quickly, and Draco had to go back to his own dorm. The new term started with a new Defence Professor: Gilderoy Lockhart. It didn’t go as in Harry’s stories for the man though.

For starters, the man wasn’t popular at all. Lockhart had been forbidden from requiring the students to buy new books and Mrs Pince had refused to purchase multiple editions of the man books as “ _Hogwarts’ policy is to keep only one version of Fantasy novels_ ”. The man almost had a fit and was forced to use Quirrell’s curriculum. Sadly, his stories almost never matched with the facts in the book chapter they were studying in class. All classes from all Houses and all Years called out his frauds.

The parents started complaining a few weeks into February. In the end, Dumbledore announced that he would take over the 5th Years and NEWT level classes so nobody failed their exams. Lockhart would keep the 1st to 4th Years but was reduced to read only the books and refrain to add any flourished story to them.

Students started betting about whereas he would stay until the end of the school year or not. But the months passed by and the peacock was still there… at the great displeasure of the students and other teachers alike.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about last week. Life wouldn't let me post... 
> 
> Please tell me how you feel about this new chapter!!!


	11. Early birthday

As weeks passed by, winter turned into spring. The Slytherins had finally decided to accept Draco back in and the blond boy was spending a little more time with his housemates – especially Nott and Pansy Parkinson.

Teddy liked Nott alright but was having a little more issue with Pansy who was far too eager on gossip for his own good. His social life was a little more balanced now that he knew that Draco had other friends who looked after him.

The classes were becoming more challenging for Teddy as his classmates were catching up. Hermione had declared that she would have a personal competition with him for the first place in Charm. When Draco heard about that during one of their shared study sessions, he challenged Teddy in the first place in Potion. Teddy didn’t know what was worse, being challenged by the two most talented of his relatives or having Harry making fun of him every time their eyes met.

To be honest, Teddy didn’t expect his godfather to be so dedicated to his studies with everything Aunt Mione said about him. Yet, Harry almost never missed their study sessions in the library – except when he had Quidditch training, of course. He wasn’t as eager to learn as Hermione or as determined to be perfect as Draco, yet, he was doing okay in class and was enjoying learning new stuff and… Well, Teddy was totally relying on that.

Studying came easily to Teddy when he was finding the subject interesting. But when he was bored, it was a whole other matter and he sometimes regretted not having any of his best friends in all his classes and especially History of Magic or Astronomy… Merlin, the class sessions could seem so long when he was bored… It was in those moments that he couldn’t stop himself from thinking about his life back home… Just as that night, when he just came back to his dorm exhausted after spending two hours pretending to know where the Orion belt was and not to be thinking about the time his godfather had tried to teach him the constellations from the magical roof of his bedroom…

Back in his dorm, Teddy mumbled to his dormmates that he would take a shower before going to sleep. He liked to do that from time to time so he can sleep in a little more the next morning. To be honest, he also had other motives to do so. Teddy wasn’t really close to the other Hufflepuff boys. Over the months, he still thought that Ernie Macmillan and Justin Finch-Fletchley were insufferable posh kids. Wayne Hopkins and Stephen Cornfoot were okay, but they were also best friends, so Teddy didn’t really know how to cope with their dynamics sometimes… So, at night, when the two ‘pairs’ began to speak about their day, he didn’t really feel like he belonged… he didn’t belong there after all. If he hadn’t come back in time, there would have only been 4 Hufflepuff boys and the atmosphere in the dorm room would have been more balanced.

As he came back from the bathroom in the now dark dorm, Teddy forced himself not to think too much about his place in this timeline. Over the months, he had abandoned the idea of going back. He wouldn’t know where to start anyway. Time-travel was like very advanced magic that, as far as he knew, nobody quite ever mastered so… And how could he master something like that, he was still only 11…

He sat on his bed, pulling shut the curtains and activating the silencing charm around them. He had asked the 5th year Prefect to put them on at the beginning of the year as Ernie Macmillan snored heavily at night. He was about to switch off his nightstand when something moved on his bed cover, almost giving him a heart attack when Harry’s head appeared floating in the mere air.

“Wh- Harry?!!!”

“Hello, Teddy,” Harry grinned. His hair was all over the place and his eyes were half shut as if he had been sleeping.

“Wh-what are you doing here?!!” Teddy asked in a muffled astonishment.

“… was waiting for you…” This time Harry did moan and stirred himself a little. The rest of his Invisibility Cloak fell on his knees and he didn’t look like a disembodied head anymore. “What took you so long?”

“I was in Astronomy and then I took a shower…” Teddy answered. “But that’s not the point! What are you doing HERE?!!!”

Harry looked him over as if he didn’t understand why he was asking. It was not as if he was in another House’s dorm in the middle of the night after all.

“What time is it?” Harry asked without answering Teddy’s question.

Teddy groaned but indulged and casted a quick _Tempus_. “11:57,” he said. “Harry, you shouldn’t be here, you’d be in trouble in someone catch you!!!”

“It’s okay,” Harry dismissed. “I’ve got my Father’s cloak, if someone comes, I can always disappear in thin air…”

“Then, everyone would think that I’m the one who’s going nuts because I speak to myself…” Teddy sighed before sending his friend a killing stare when he heard him chuckle.

“ _Tempus_ ”, Harry said out loud and then he nodded. He looked at Teddy with so much intensity that Teddy felt uncomfortable. He was about to ask what was going on, but Harry erupted: “HAPPY BIRTHDAY TEDDY!!!!!” he yelled, taking a handful of confetti out of under his Invisibility Cloak.

Before Teddy could register what was going on, his bed was covered in colourful little pieces of paper.

“Wh-What?!!!” he gasped after overgoing his shock.

“Your birthday is the 9th of April, right?” Harry asked suddenly uncertain. When Teddy nodded, he shined a relieved smile. “Well, it’s today! Happy 12th Birthday Teddy.” As Teddy was staying silent, Harry started to doubt again. “Sorry… I know it’s stupid but… well, since my relatives would never ever do something special for my birthday, I just took the habit of waking myself up at midnight the night of my birthday to… well, to celebrate by myself and I thought that… Well… I felt like I could just make it a habit to all my best friends… I did it with Ron one month ago and he said it was brilliant but you’re not in our House, so I just thought…”

Teddy put an end to Harry’s misery and hugged him to shut him up.

“Thanks, Harry,” the Hufflepuff said softly. “This, indeed, is brilliant. “

He didn’t indulge in the hug for too long. He didn’t want Harry to feel uncomfortable.

Harry now had a shy smile on his face. “I have a present too…” he announced, taking out a small square box.

“Oh, Harry, you didn’t have to…” Teddy started.

But Harry shook his head and gave him the present anyway. “Of course, I have to, you’re my best friend.”

Teddy froze at that. “I thought it was Ron…” he whispered, afraid of what he might have done to his timeline. Ron’s friendship was one of the best things in his godfather’s life, he would never forgive himself for spoiling that…

“Well, there’s no rule against having more than one best friend, right?” Harry answered while looking away slightly. “And it’s not the same. You’re the first friend I ever made even if you’re in a different House, so I spend less time with you than Ron and… Well, you and Ron are different, but I like you both and, yeah, you’re one of my best friends, Teddy. But that’s not important, open it up!”

Teddy nodded and concentrated on the box on his knees. He opened it and forgot how to breathe.

“It’s called a Two-way mirror,” Harry explained. “Sirius and my dad invented it.”

Teddy didn’t answer. Of course, he knew what it was. When he was younger, Victoire and he had borrowed it – without permission – to play around. When he noticed, Harry had scolded them strongly. It was one of the only time Teddy had felt like his godfather was mad at him and he hadn’t understood why until Aunt Mione explained to him. This was one of the only presents Harry had left from Sirius. It was incredibly important for him.

Those were slightly different from what Teddy remembered though. One had a common wooden edge, while the other was painted in yellow and black.

“Sirius gave me one at Christmas so we can stay in touch and when he explained how it works, I thought… Well, I thought about you and your godfather actually,” Harry continued. “So, I asked him if he could create another pair and… well, he said he would try and… well, here we are. Those two mirrors are connected with each other, you can give this one to your godfather,” he said pointing the wooden one, “and you’ll just have to call his name to see him and talk to him. And, this one,” he said showing Teddy the mirror with a yellow and black edge, “is actually also connected to mine. So, if you call my name, we can talk to each other even if we are on opposite sides of the Castle! And…” Harry stopped talking suddenly. “Teddy? Are you…? Did I say something that…”

A heavy tear crashed onto the mirror, quickly followed by others. He absentmindedly squeezed the unexpecting thoughtful present against his chest. This was too much… It was far too kind, and he missed his godfather so much and…

Before he knew it, he found himself into a crushing hug, calming pats going up and down his back. He let out a loud sob and Harry hugged him tightly.

“It’s okay Teddy,” Harry whispered. “You’re not alone…”

Teddy didn’t know how Harry knew. But his action made him feel so much better.

“Thank… thank you… Harry…” he tried to say but he doubted his friend hear or understood him. Harry just tightened his hug and hummed in his hear some unknown song.

After an eternity, Teddy finally managed to gather enough courage and stop crying. He wiped the remaining tears from his cheeks.

“Sorry, I…” he started but Harry stopped him.

“It’s okay. You don’t need to apologize Teddy. I know how you feel,” Harry smiled softly. “To be honest, I also cried at Christmas when Sirius… well, when Sirius told me he wanted me to live with him and… Well… I know how you feel, and I hope your godfather will be able to call you soon thanks to this mirror even if he’s busy.”

Teddy looked down at the mirrors in his hands. He should probably tell Harry, right? That he no longer had a godfather. That no matter how thoughtful this present was, he wouldn’t be able to use it…

“I should probably go back before someone notices I’m missing,” Harry said. “Are you going to be okay?”

Teddy nodded. “Yes… Thanks again for the present it’s… You’re the best friend I ever have.”

Harry smiled brightly. “I’ll be sure to tell that to Malfoy tomorrow!” he chuckled.

Teddy glared at his friend. “Don’t you dare! If you’re allowed to have two best friends so am I!”

Harry grinned at him. “Yeah, but you said _I_ was the best.”

Teddy took his pillow and threw it at his friend who dodged easily. They laughed together for a few more minutes before Harry decided it was really time to go. Teddy thanked him again and soon found himself alone on his huge four-poster bed.

He looked down at the mirrors. He wished Harry’s present could work and he could talk to his godfather whenever he wanted. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t send this to his godfather. The mirror probably wouldn’t work across time anyway. He was doomed. He would never talk to his godfather ever again…

“Teddy?”

The Hufflepuff jumped in his bead hearing Harry’s voice. He looked around, wondering why his friend didn’t leave and where he was hidden when it suddenly hit him.

“H-Harry?” Teddy asked to the yellow and black mirror.

Harry’s voice appeared surrounded by red and gold curtains.

“Hey!” the Gryffindor smiled. “Just wanted to check if it really works and… well, let you know I made it back to the Lion den okay.”

“That’s great,” Teddy nodded.

“Happy Birthday again, see you in a few hours for breakfast?”

“Okay.”

“Good night, Teddy.”

“Good night, Harry.”

And with that phrase, the two-way mirror turned back to a regular mirror reflecting Teddy’s face. Teddy smiled tiredly and soon fell asleep holding the small incredibly valuable gift against his chest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, it's so short...  
> Thank you for all your comments, bookmarks and kudos!


	12. Next step

This birthday was certainly the most memorable birthday Teddy ever had.

After Harry’s surprise midnight visit, the festivities continued from the very first hour the next morning when his dormmates wake him up with a shower of candies. Then at breakfast, more than a few owls dropped small parcels in front of him. And then, at the beginning of every class as soon as the door was closed shut, a House Elf would appear and start singing Happy Birthday to you in a strange but totally adorable voice.

Teddy spent his day laughing his heart out. The pinnacle of the day was when every light went off during dinner and Draco – who had just disappeared to go to the loo – came back with an enormous chocolate cake covered in candles.

That day made Teddy realize that he was far less alone that he had imagined. So many people went out of their way to make his day something special. He had so many ‘ _Thank you_ ’ letters to write he didn’t even know how he managed to still have enough time to do his homework during the following weekend.

Teddy felt like he belonged again. He has his friends, his family was around him even if they were just a bunch of not even yet teenagers. He would be okay! However, during the week before the Spring Holidays, Snape felt the need to remind him of the harsh reality.

“Mister Wolfe, stay,” the Potion Professor ordered at the end of the class.

Teddy sent anxious looks to his friends in Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. He didn’t remember doing anything that could deserve detention, but one could never know with Snape… Yet, he was pretty sure he had mastered today’s potion and his last essay should easily get him an EE or at least an A…

Soon, all other students had left the dungeon classroom, meaning Teddy was alone with his least appreciated teacher.

“Mister Wolfe,” Snape spoke. “It was called to my attention that your living arrangement during last summer was a temporary solution. May I inquire if you have a more durable place to stay this summer?”

Teddy gapped. He sure hadn’t expected that. How did Snape know that… He frowned. Wait, it was strange.

“I don’t understand Professor, I live with…”

“Don’t you stay at the Leaky Cauldron last summer?” Snape interrupted him. “Your Hogwarts Acceptance Letter was addressed to Gringotts’ Lobby, if I recall correctly.”

“I… Shouldn’t I address this topic with Professor Sprout, my Head of House, or Professor McGonagall, the Deputy Headmistress?” Teddy reasoned. What did Snape know? Why was he talking to him about that?!!!

“You could. But as far as I know, you didn’t.” Snape said. “Mister Malfoy told me that your _Godfather_ and guardian was very much unreachable at the moment. Is he wrong in thinking so?”

Teddy looked down at his feet. He didn’t want to talk about that with Snape of all people.

“Listen, a more suitable and durable living arrangement will be necessary if you don’t want to attract unwanted attention. I’m sure your _Godfather_ must have something ready for you. Just be aware that you will need to give a contact information to your Head of House before the end of the term. If, unfortunately, nothing has been planned by that time, you can always come to me for help. I… have connections and might be able to help you…. Discreetly, of course.”

Teddy felt the need to gape again. “Why would you do that?”

“Let’s just say I know what is like being undercover,” Snape smirked when Teddy froze again. “I heard that your _Godfather_ is an Unspeakable on a mission overseas. I’m sure the Ministry wouldn’t want his agent being exposed because he’s not smart enough to find a suitable living arrangement for his 12-year-old godson.”

Teddy didn’t know where Snape had heard of that rumour, but he found it very plausible. It explained why he didn’t get any news from his Godfather and all… Well, he thought it did give a harsh and irresponsible picture of his godfather, but he was sure Harry would understand.

“Mister Malfoy thinks greatly of you, Mister Wolfe. He would be inconsolable if something was to happen to you. I would recommend not getting the Headmaster or another Head of House involved as long as your _Godfather_ ’s situation can stay… confidential.”

Teddy nodded without really knowing what he was nodding to. He would need to make plans again.

 

Weeks passed by without any real plan in sight though. Draco started spending more and more time training to the Slytherin seeker position the next year as the days were becoming warmer. Most students stayed at Hogwarts during the Spring Holidays, so Teddy spent his time playing around with his friends and just not think about anything. He just wanted to feel like any other schoolboy and worry for the end of year exams…

At the end of April, Harry got an appointment with a Child Protection Counsellor to talk about Sirius and his willingness to stay with him. Harry, of course, had been ecstatic and told the Ministry official that he was totally on board and more than eager to live with his godfather.

Teddy knew that Sirius had claimed the Black Lordship in order to make his case stronger. He didn’t quite get why he needed to make a case, though. Sirius was Harry’s godfather and rightful guardian so it shouldn’t be an issue. Hermione had to rationalize them by explaining how a single man freshly out of prison was hardly the first choice of foster home for child protection services and it was just normal that they would be cautious.

The final answer came back at the very beginning of May. Harry almost jumped on Teddy as soon as he saw him in the Great Hall.

“He made it!!! Sirius made it!!!!” Harry screamed in Teddy’s ears. “I’m officially moving in with him at the end of the semester!!!”

Teddy forced a large smile on his face. “Oh Harry, I’m so happy for you!”

The reminder that the end of the semester was only a few weeks away was crushing him. He probably would have to take Snape’s proposal for help…

“Thank you! I’m so happy too!” Harry smiled but was soon frowning. “Is something wrong?”

“What? Oh no… it’s…” Teddy started without really knowing what to say. He couldn’t tell Harry he didn’t have anywhere to go in a few weeks… Plus, there was something more on his mind today. “It’s my parents’ death anniversary…” he admitted slowly.

“Good Morning Edward!” Draco announced himself proudly from behind him, but he stopped when he saw Harry’s and Teddy’s faces. “What is it?”

Teddy looked away.

“It’s Teddy’s parents’ death anniversary,” Harry repeated to Draco.

“Oh…”

“It’s okay,” Teddy wanted to stop them from worrying. “It’s okay, it’s just… Well, usually we have a celebration with my Godfather and then… Well, it’s also one of my childhood friends’ birthday so usually, we ended up at her place to celebrate there too and…” Teddy moved his hands dismissingly as if it could make his sorrow disappear. Nobody knew what this day represented here… The Battle of Hogwarts hadn’t happened yet… He hoped he had done enough for it to never happen again…

“We could celebrate on our own?” Draco offered. “What do you want us to do?”

“I… You don’t have to…”

“We want to,” Harry stopped him, and Draco nodded next to him. It was so strange to see them work together like that. Sure, they became friends when they were older, but it was not until Teddy’s 8th or 9th birthday.

“Thank you,” Teddy said sincerely. “We usually just went to the Lake and…”

“Would the Black Lake do?” Draco asked. “I can ask the House-elves if they have some lilies.”

Teddy paused and then asked, “Can you ask them for some aconites too?”

Draco frowned. “Why…” The realization shined across his face. “Okay, I’ll ask. I’ll find you by the Lake in 15’?”

“Okay… Wait! Draco? Have you eaten???” Teddy called back but Draco had already left.

“Do you want to eat something?” Harry asked next to him.

“Hot Chocolate,” Teddy nodded. It was what Harry always made on that day. ‘ _Never as good as Professor Lupin’s_ ’ he would say before making sure he had a chocolate moustache to make Teddy laugh his heart out.

“Roger!”

They grabbed a mug of Hot Chocolate in the Great Hall and Harry just had enough time to tell Ron and Hermione that he would be spending the day with Teddy before heading out and meeting Draco.

Teddy’s two friends didn’t know that the Black Lake was the very Lake he had been to every year since he was old enough to remember. They stayed a few meters behind him, respecting his privacy. Draco had brought a small bouquet of lilies and aconites. Teddy dropped it on the Lake and kneeled as his Godfather had always done.

“Hey, Mum and Dad…” he whispered. “It’s just me this year… Well, Harry is probably here too, back there… Sorry, it’s a bit confusing… I’m in 1992 and you’re not even dead yet… I just hope me doing this won’t bring you bad luck…” he sighed. “I’m doing okay, really. Dad, Harry will be living with Sirius. I know he was one of your best friends and I’m sure you’d rather have Harry with him than the Dursleys… I hope everything is going to be okay with him. Mum, I pushed a little bit Draco towards Grandma… I also hope that she and Aunt Cissy will be able to work through their disagreements now that Lucius is gone…” he paused, not really knowing what else to add. He could tell them about his life at Hogwarts but deep down he knew that he didn’t really want to tell _them_ about that… “Could you please, take care of Harry… I mean my Harry, adult-Harry, my godfather, back there?” he mumbled. “Please look over him and don’t let Ginny make his life miserable. If you can, tell him I’m okay? I miss you and I miss him. I love you both…”

Teddy stayed near the edge of the lake for long minutes. He really hoped everything would work out just fine for his friends and that they won’t have to go through the same hardships as their adult versions. They both smiled at him when he got up and looked back at them.

“Feeling better?” Draco asked.

Teddy nodded. “Thanks, guys. That… means a lot.”

“You’re welcomed!” Harry smiled.

“I’m hungry. What time is it?” Draco whined.

Teddy and Harry shared a look and start laughing.

“What?!” The Slytherin snapped.

“You… Malfoy, you just sounded like Ron?”

Draco took a horrified look. “Don’t compare me to this Weasel!!”

“Don’t be mean, Draco,” Teddy said walking back toward the Castle. “Call people by their proper names…”

“As you want, Edward,” Draco answered, insisting on every syllable of Teddy’s first name.

“Stop calling me that!”

“I thought you wanted me to call people by their proper name?” Draco stated innocently.

Teddy glared at Harry when he heard the Gryffindor chuckling behind him. They couldn’t continue their usual argument though.

“Teddy?” Susan Bones and Megan Jones were coming their way. “Professor Sprout is looking for you,” the girl said.

“Why?”

“Don’t know,” Megan said. “She said to tell you to go to her office if we see you.”

The girls went on and the three friends looked at each other.

“Are you in trouble? If this was about school work, she wouldn’t ask you to come on a Saturday…” Draco analysed.

“Have you been participating in one of the Twins’ pranks lately?” Harry asked Teddy.

“N-no…”

Teddy felt nervous. Did Snape get tired of waiting and talk to her? Was it what he was talking about when he said that if he didn’t find a suitable living arrangement quickly, he would get into trouble?

“Better go and find out,” Draco said.

They walked down the stairs. Professor Sprout’s office was located near the kitchens and Hufflepuff Common room.

“Sirius?!” Harry exclaimed suddenly before running in front of them.

The man was waiting in the hallways and turned around when he heard his godson’s voice.

“Hey Pup!” He said with a soft smile. “Have you received my letter?”

Teddy observed the man in rich pureblood robes, but muggle ripped jeans showing under them. He looked healthier than in Harry’s photos back in his time. His face still looked tired, but it was clean. Teddy guessed he only looked a little older than he really was, and no one could guess the man had just spent 10 years in Azkaban just by looking at him now.

“Yup! This morning! Thank you, Sirius!! Thank you so much!”

“I’m the one that should thank you, pup,” Sirius dismissed. “Why don’t you introduce me to your friends?” He continued looking up to Teddy and Draco and frowning a little.

“Sure!” Harry exclaimed. “This is Teddy, I told you about him.” Sirius nodded. “And this is Draco Malfoy, he’s more like Teddy’s friend really.”

“Narcissa’s son?” Sirius asked in a neutral voice.

Draco nodded. He seemed a little worry about the whole situation.

“What your mother did earlier this year was… unexpected.” Sirius said.

“She didn’t follow my father’s ideals,” Draco answered, his Slytherin mask fully on. “I’m leaving you here,” he whispered into Teddy’s ear. “See you later. Potter, Mister Black.”

“Lord Black,” Sirius corrected, and Draco flinched slightly.

Teddy frowned. He didn’t like that, but Draco didn’t argue. His left leg moved backwards and he slightly kneeled. “Sorry, Lord Black. It was a pleasure to meet you, My Lord.”

Sirius seemed as surprised as Harry and Teddy about this answer. “Tell your mother I might get in touch with her!” He yelled after Draco who had already flown down the Dungeons.

“What was that Sirius?” Harry asked.

“Nothing. I guess the kid didn’t take after his father after all…”

“He didn’t,” Teddy said firmly.

Sirius looked at him and his face soften. “So, you’re the famous ‘ _Teddy_ ’! Harry can’t stop writing about you! Your godfather put the hell of a standard you know? With everything Harry told me, I’m not even sure I’ll be able to get to the man’s ankle…”

“Stop that, Sirius,” Harry scolded embarrassed. “What are you doing here by the way? Can we go to Hogsmeade? Can we take Teddy this time???”

Sirius’s smile was so soft when he looked down at his godson that Teddy decided to take it as a sign sent by his parents that everything was going to be okay for Harry. “Maybe, Pup. But I’ve some business to attend to first…”

“Ah! Mister Black, I see you found Mister Wolfe!” Professor Sprout interrupted them on her way back from the kitchen.

Sirius seemed lost and looked around him before noticing that Harry’s eyes were darting from him to Teddy.

“You’re Edward Wolfe?” Sirius guessed looking at Teddy.

“Y-yes… why?” Teddy’s heart was pounding in his chest. He was ready to flee. Why was Sirius Black looking for him??? Why did he know his name?

“Mister Black was looking for you Teddy,” Professor Sprout explained. “I think it’s regarding your inheritance?” She looked at Sirius for confirmation and the man nodded.

“But… it’s not possible… Teddy, do you… do you have any relationship with the Black family?”

Teddy froze. Should he lie? He should probably lie! No one could know who he was!!!

“What are you talking about Sirius?”

“When… when I went to claim my Lordship, my primary plan was to name you my Heir, Harry… However, Gringotts refused that claim and told me that the Heir Ring had already be claimed…” Sirius shook his head disbelievingly. “I thought it might be by Narcissa’s son but when I asked the Goblins to meet this person or his guardian if he was underage, they told me that the boy was currently underage and didn’t have any living relative in Britain. They just gave me your name and that you were sorted in Hufflepuff this September…” he finished looking at Teddy. “Do you… do you know what this is about? Have you been to Gringotts to claim the heir ring?”

Teddy didn’t know what to do with the sudden attention. “I… my godfather took me when I was five… just before my grandmother died but… it… it shouldn’t…” It didn’t make sense. Harry named Teddy Black Heir in 2003, how could he already assume that position back in 1992????!!!

“Your Godfather!” Harry exclaimed. “Sirius, you must be mistaken. Teddy has living relatives in Britain since his Godfather raised him and brought him back here this summer!”

Sirius’s eyes were fixed on Teddy. “You spent August alone in a room at the Leaky Cauldron, didn’t you?”

Teddy’s lips twitched. He didn’t want to answer that. He didn’t want Harry to know.

“Kid… Where is your godfather?” Sirius asked.

Teddy should run. He knew he should run away. There was no issue around those questions. Soon, Sirius would know the truth and he would tell Dumbledore, and everything would be over… He couldn’t stay. He shouldn’t stay here.

“Teddy?” Harry asked softly.

And that was when Teddy made his biggest mistake. He stopped looking at Sirius and his eyes met the pleading emerald ones of Harry. The concrete that was freezing him in place started rifting quickly.

“Mister Wolfe, is that true?” Professor Sprout asked. “Did your godfather abandon you here alone?”

“He didn’t!” Teddy erupted. “He would never do that!!! He…” The tears broke his voice. “It… it wasn’t his fault. It was an accident and… and… it’s my fault… it’s all my fault…”

His legs gave up under him. He couldn’t do it. He wasn’t strong enough. He wasn’t a Gryffindor like his godfather…

“It’s not his fault…” he repeated. “If he could he would definitely come and… he would come looking for me!!! But he can’t… and it’s not his fault if he… if he isn’t here anymore…”

Professor Sprout let out a soft gasp and soon Teddy found himself into one of Harry’s hugs. “Oh, Teddy…” He was saying. “Why didn’t you tell anything? Malfoy had always been so worried because you never ever get any owl… When… when did it happen?”

“The… the day we met…” Teddy admitted between his sobs.

“Why didn’t you tell anything???”

“… it just didn’t seem…real…yet…”

Teddy didn’t know what to do. Would Snape still be willing to help him now that this story was out? Or would he sell him out to Dumbledore now that he was no longer a fellow spy’s godson?

“Oh Teddy, you should have told us you lose your godfather at the beginning of the school year, dear,” Professor Sprout said softly. “We could have helped you with the grieving…”

“Was that why you were at Gringotts?” Harry continued.

Teddy didn’t answer. Were they thinking that his godfather died?

“Sirius? What… What can we do?” Harry asked over Teddy’s head.

“I… To be honest, I came here hoping that the Goblins had been mistaking and that you do have a…” Sirius stopped himself. “We can talk about that later… Teddy? Do… do you have somewhere to go at the end of the term?”

Teddy shook his head against Harry’s chest and felt it when his friend carried his answer to the man.

“Ok… Well… you see as you’re the rightful Heir Black and I’m Lord Black… well… legally, I’m your Magical Guardian by default if no one else is available for this role and…” Sirius took a deep breath. “I know you don’t know me but you’re one of Harry’s best friends… How do you feel about living with Harry and me when you’re not at school?”  
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!   
> This chapter is slightly longer than the other but I couldn't edit it! XD  
> What do you think? 
> 
> Thank you for all your kudos, subscribes, bookmarks and comments!!!


	13. On the way back

“Stop making that face, Draco…” Teddy sighed, leaning a little more on his friend’s shoulder in an attempt to get his attention off the train’s window. “Was my birthday present so bad that you won’t ever look at me again?”

His pitiful tone made Draco darted at him, but the Slytherin snorted and went back to avoiding him when he realized he was faking it.

They were on the Hogwarts Express back to London and Notts and Pansy had left their compartment a few minutes earlier. The end of the year had passed by without anything big happening – except maybe Lockhart’s theatrical demission since ‘ _dunderhead teenagers are too young and too stupid to understand the fineness of his expertise_ ’.

“I don’t even understand how you know that I want to be a healer…” The Slytherin scowled. “You must be a seer or something…”

Teddy grinned. A few days before, Draco had turned 12 and Teddy had celebrated worthily by organizing a big Quidditch Match amongst 1st years and gifting him a set of books on healing spells, potions and salves for beginners – completed with fresh potion ingredients.

“It’s just so unfair…” Draco growled. “I just left for 5 minutes and HE gets to adopt you!”

Teddy sighed. Of course, his friend was still on that event… He felt like they had got that discussion every two hours during the last month.

“Harry didn’t _adopt_ me… Sirius Black just offered me to live with them since I have nowhere else to go…” He corrected.

“Well, I would have offered too if I had known!” Draco snapped back. “You never told!”

Teddy moved away from his friend at the accusation. “I know… I told you I was sorry… I just… Harry didn’t know either…” he said for the last time as if it was making his betrayal smaller.

“Why didn’t you say anything? I could have helped you! You were alone for almost a year!!”

“I… I wasn’t alone. You were there. Harry too. And all the other friends I made… I just… talking about it would have made it real and I…” Teddy sighed. How many times had he apologized already? “I’m sorry Draco.”

Draco had been far more hurt than Harry when he had learnt his secret. The _good_ part was that Teddy was feeling so bad about lying about his godfather’s death that it could be played as remorse. And, so far, the Slytherin had tended to drop the subject quickly.

Draco sighed heavily. “I know, I’m sorry Teddy… I just blame myself for not noticing. You’re my best friend. I should have noticed!”

Teddy raised an eyebrow. It was the first time that Draco admitted that. “You noticed. Harry told me you were worried about the fact that I never received any owl… You even went so far as to talk to Harry about it!”

“It wasn’t enough. I should have…”

“Draco, I didn’t want to talk about it,” Teddy cut him. “I wouldn’t have admitted it if you had confronted me, and I didn’t want the adults to know anyway… What if they had decided that I couldn’t stay at Hogwarts anymore???”

“What would they have done that?!!”

Teddy looked away. ‘ _Because I’m from the future and I’m messing up with Time_ ’ was on the tip of his tongue.

“You could come live with me. My mother is a Black too…” Draco proposed suddenly.

Teddy eyed him. “I’m a Half-Blood. My maternal grandfather was a muggleborn and my paternal grandmother was a muggle…”

“And so, what? It’s not as if I was asking to marry you! I’m sure my mother would be okay with that!”

“We can’t change the plan now. And I told you I’ll make sure to ask Sirius to spend some time at your house during the summer! Maybe you could come to his place too!”

“And spending time with Potter? No, thank you…”

“Don’t be mean… I know that you two team up pretty well when you have to!”

“Over my dead body…” Draco assured. “I can’t believe he won the Quidditch Cup on his First Year!”

“Don’t be a bad loser, you aren’t even on the team yet! Plus, Slytherin won the House Cup. Hufflepuff didn’t win anything and you don’t hear me complaining.”

“It’s not the same… He won the Quidditch Cup AND the Edward for 3 months! It’s unfair!” Draco moaned.

Teddy smirked. He probably shouldn’t feel so good about the fact that his two best friends seemed to constantly fight over him as if he was some kind of prize, but at the same time, the feeling was so rewarding…

However, Draco was about to go back to his brooding and Teddy started to be sick of that.

“Draco? Actually, I have another present for you…”

Teddy had hesitated a long time about that move. He had asked the permission to Harry the day before after having thought about it for almost two months… It was his gift in the first place after all.

“It’s nothing big… It’s just… Well, I know I won’t see you as much this summer as when we are in school so…” Teddy mumbled, taking a small package out of his pocket. “Well, it doesn’t mean we can’t stay in touch.”

He quickly put the small mirror in Draco’s hand and by the time he had finished to explain what it was and how it worked, Teddy was choked in a crushing hug. As Draco was more private and distant than Harry, this kind of event didn’t happen often and so Teddy knew how much his last gift meant to his friend.

 

Harry came to check on Teddy as the train was entering Kings Cross station. Hermione and Ron were with him and the girl hugged Teddy tightly and made him promise to write at least once a week. Ron was making faces behind her back and the Hufflepuff chuckled while accepting Hermione’s request.

The train whistled their arrival, stopped, and all sudden the flow of students swept the group of ex-First years to the platform. Teddy didn’t really manage to keep up until Harry grabbed his wrist.

“I see Sirius! This way!!” The Gryffindor told him excitedly.

And indeed a few seconds later the raven-haired boy launched himself into his godfather’s arms.

“Sirius!!!!”

“Hey, pup!” The man laughed. “Did you miss me that much?”

He let Harry go and the stormy grey eyes met Teddy’s.

“Hi… Mister Black,” Teddy said stiffly. He felt out of place. Surely Harry and Sirius would rather be alone than stuck with a burden like him…

Sirius smiled softly, “Don’t call me that, kid. Mister Black was my father! You can call me Sirius, we’re family after all!”

The man set his hand on Teddy’s shoulder and Teddy nodded, but the Hufflepuff didn’t really manage to relax. Sirius was Harry’s family, not his. He didn’t know the man and… well, he really felt out of place…

Luckily, Draco’s voice saved him from the uncomfortable silence which was slowly settling in.

“Edward, my mother wants to meet you,” the Slytherin said from his right side.

“I’ll be quick…” Teddy muttered to Sirius and Harry before escaping.

He found Draco hurriedly and didn’t give him time to ask any question. The Slytherin seemed to understand his unspoken plead and led him to his mother.

“Mother, this is my friend, Edward Wolfe, Heir of The Noble and Most Ancient House of Black” the blond boy introduced him.

Aunt Narcissa looked so beautiful and so much younger than he remembered that Teddy was pretty sure he was gaping. He blushed suddenly and forced himself to look down.

“N-nice to meet you, Lady Malfoy,” he said, trying to be formal and to respect the pureblood etiquette.

“Nice to finally meet you, Heir Black,” Narcissa nodded.

Teddy grimaced at the title. “Y-you can call me Teddy…” he muttered.

“Or rather ‘Edward’,” Draco cut in. “It’s only normal to call people by their proper name!”

Teddy glared at his friend, containing himself not to jump at him to sweep that smug face out of him. He froze when he heard the woman chuckling lightly next to him.

“Sorry,” she said, a hand covering her mouth. “It’s just been a long time since I last saw someone standing up to my insufferable son.”

“Muuum…” Draco whined.

And with that, Teddy was chuckling too, all his nervousness was gone. A soft flower scent surrendered him a few seconds later.

“I wanted to thank you, Teddy, for taking care of my son while I was gone. I’m relieved that he found such a good and reliable friend in those difficult times…” Narcissa whispered in his ear while gently hugging him.

“Mum…” Draco whined again and with that, Narcissa let Teddy go.

“What is it, Dragon?” the woman asked. “Cannot a woman thank her son’s best friend for the fantastic job he did by tolerating you?”

Draco started pouting and Teddy couldn’t stop himself from laughing at him.

“It’s nothing, really,” he told Narcissa. “Draco is a great friend too.”

“Is he, really?”

“Mum….”

But Teddy nodded affirmatively, a bright smile in the face. Narcissa smiled back at him, relief clearly showing in her eyes.

“My my… so much emotion on the former Slytherin Ice Queen’s face… Does she perhaps melt with time???” A grave voice came behind Teddy’s back.

The woman’s face switched immediately to a studied expressionless mask. Teddy looked over his shoulder and grimaced when he saw Sirius and Harry coming their way.

“Lord Black,” Narcissa acknowledged neutrally.

“Come on, Cissy. We’re still cousins, why so much formality?” Sirius smirked.

Teddy frowned. He noticed how tensed Draco was suddenly. He didn’t like that.

“S-Sirius? Are we going?” he asked looking at the man straight in the eyes, hoping that he would just stop harassing his best friend’s mother.

“Er, yeah, I guess…” Sirius seemed taken aback by his reaction. “Are you ready?”

“I am.” Teddy nodded, turning back to the Malfoys. “It was nice to meet you, Lady Malfoy. If you agree, I’d hope to see your son during the summer…”

“I’m sure it can be arranged. What do you say, Sirius? As you stated, we’re still cousins, thus it would be odd to keep our wards apart during the summer vacation, don’t you think?”

“Er… y-yeah… I guess… I mean, if it’s what the kid wants…”

“I want to,” Teddy confirmed to Sirius. “Draco’s my best friend as much as Harry is.”

Sirius eyed his godson who nodded to confirm what Teddy just said and probably tell that he was okay with it.

“Then, I think we’ll see each other again soon, Cissy,” the ex-convicted smirked at the old nickname. Little did he know that the woman would take the same nickname to introduce herself to Teddy when he was 5.

“It’s Lady Malfoy…” Draco snarled behind his mother.

“’Narcissa’ will be fine, Sirius,” Narcissa corrected him with a nicer voice. “And it would be my honour to try and rebuild saner relationships with you, for our wards’ sake…”

Sirius didn’t know what to answer to that and stayed unusually silent.

“We must be going too, Draco,” Narcissa announced. “Did you say goodbye to all your friends?”

Draco nodded before eyeing at Teddy with concerns. Teddy smiled softly and immediately went to his friend to hug him tightly.

“I’ll call you in the mirror tonight,” he whispered, and Draco nodded against his shoulder. “I’ll miss you.”

“Me too…” the Slytherin admitted. “Be sure to call or I will.”

Teddy chuckled as he let go but Draco seemed as determined as ever.

“I leave him in your care, Potter,” he snapped at Harry. “If you let him cry, I’ll know.”

“I won’t make him cry,” Harry scoffed.

“He usually doesn’t need any help to… Just, don’t let him,” Draco smirked.

“Right,” Harry agreed. “I’ll do my best.”

“Hey!!!” Teddy exclaimed suddenly understanding the meaning of this exchange. “I don’t cry that often!!”

Both his friends looked at him disbelievingly and Teddy felt like pouting until both Draco and Harry started laughing at him. He couldn’t fight his smile and with that, Narcissa and Draco were gone, and he stayed behind with Harry and Sirius.

“So, I was thinking… My house is not so far away from here and well, what do you feel about taking a muggle taxi to go there???” Sirius announced excitedly. “It would be a great adventure, right???”

Teddy and Harry shared a look, unimpressed.

“What?” Sirius asked defensively.

“Well, Sirius… You know… Teddy and I, we’re muggle-raised… Taking the taxi is just… well, normal, I guess?” Harry explained.

“Oh… So, you’d rather apparate?” the man asked, clearly disappointed.

Teddy and Harry exchanged a new look, silently consulting the other. Harry raised his eyebrows and Teddy shrugged.

“Sirius, we can take the taxi if you want. We don’t care really,” Harry said.

“I really don’t like side-apparating anyway,” Teddy confirmed.

And with those few words, Sirius’s mood was back to the one of a kid during Christmas morning. The boys followed him to the muggle side of the station and helped him order a taxi, trying not to laugh at the way the driver keep on eyeing at Sirius every time the man squeaked during their 15-minute ride.

When they arrived at Grimmauld Place, Sirius introduced them to the house. They entered the atrium, Walburga Black’s portrait was still covered with a thick blanket, but the house seemed lighter than what Teddy remembered.

“There’s still work to be done but I started rehabilitating the place in January,” Sirius explained. “It’s my childhood home and my parents… let’s just say the Ministry wouldn’t find the place appropriate for child raising if I had left it untouched. Kreacher!” He shouted

A crack resonated in the corridor and Kreacher appeared. Teddy blanched suddenly. He had completely forgotten about Kreacher!! Would Kreacher recognize him? If he said anything to Sirius about what they did last summer, Teddy would be so screwed!!!

“Bring the boys’ trunk to their room,” Sirius ordered.

“S-Sirius… wha-who…” Harry stammered. Teddy guessed that it was his first encounter with a House-Elf.

“Oh, right. Kreacher, wait.” Sirius stopped the old elf. “This is Harry Potter and Edward Wolfe. I told you they’ll live with me starting today. They are your masters. You are to listen to them.”

Kreacher glared at Sirius.

As Harry had clearly no idea of what was going on, Teddy stepped in. “Kreacher is a House-Elf, Harry. House-Elves are usually bounded to a wizarding family to serve them.” He used this explanation to set up some boundaries, hoping Kreacher would understand what he was doing. “Nice to meet you Kreacher. My name is Edward Wolfe, I-I’m the Heir of the Most Ancient and Noble House of Black. I’ll be in your care from now on.”

“No need to be so formal with him… he’s just an old stupid Elf. I just keep him because I had no time to go and find a new one. I’ll cloth him soon.”

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Young Master Edward. If you being so kind, Kreacher will show you to your room…” Kreacher growled as to prove Sirius wrong.

Sirius seemed indeed surprised by this reaction and when the House-Elf grabbed Teddy’s trunk and try to carry it upstairs… he noticed.

“Kreacher, Harry’s trunk too!!”

“No need!” Harry exclaimed when the House Elf glared at him. “I mean… no offence but thi… I mean, Kreacher seems pretty old and… well, I can carry my own trunk…”

“I’ll help!” Teddy reacted immediately. “Can you put the weightless charm on?”

Harry looked at Teddy. “Err… the what?”

Teddy froze and move to Harry’s trunk to try and move it. He had to put all his weigh on, and the burden only moved for a few millimetres. Crap… they were screwed…

Sirius let out a dramatical sigh.

“Fine, I’ll do it…”

He flicked his wand and soon enough the three of them followed the flying trunk to the second floor. Kreacher was waiting for them in front of what used to be Regulus’s room.

“Young Master Edward, this is your room. Kreacher had prepared it for your arrival.”

Teddy smiled and followed the elf inside the room.

“I don’t know what got into him, I’ve never seen him act like that to anyone except my mother and brother… Anyway, Harry, here’s your room, it’s my old one, I hope you like it!”

Teddy decided to focus on his room. He already knew the house, of course, but that meant that he could now appreciate the improvement.

Most of the green of Regulus’s room was gone but the Slytherin silver had stayed only highlighted by touches of yellow and black. The Black family crest was still hovering above the large four posters bed. The window was clear and opened to a small balcony with a refined bird nest, perfect for an owl. Like the rest of the House, the room seemed clearer than how Teddy remembered it. A small picture of an 11-year-old Regulus was lying on the desk, the Hogwarts student nodded at him when Teddy looked at it. He seemed nervous but soon, his 13-year-old brother jumped into the framework to put a mess with his hair and both boys started silently laughing.

“Thank you Kreacher, it’s perfect,” Teddy said, putting the framework back.

“Kreacher is happy to serve you, Young Master Edward.” The Elf said formally before eyeing to the door. They could hear Sirius’s voice coming from the room next door. With a finger snap from Kreacher, the door closed shut.

Teddy frowned and focused back to the Elf house. “Kreacher must thank Young Master Edward. Thanks to him, Master Regulus’s last order had been fulfilled. Blood-Traitor Albus Stupid Names Dumbledore had destroyed the Dark Lord’s abomination. Kreacher had watched him.”

“Really?!! Oh Kreacher, it’s wonderful!! But wait! What do you mean, you have watched?? Kreacher, you can’t tell anyone about what…”

“Kreacher is not stupid, Young Master Edward. Of course, Kreacher had been sure nobody was seeing him!”

“Kreacher, you really can’t tell anyone! Even Sirius! I mean, I’m not supposed to know…”

“Kreacher will say nothing to the Blood Traitor Ungrateful Bad Son Master Sirius…” the elf sneered. “Even if the Ungrateful Master orders it. It’s Kreacher’s order from Master Regulus and Young Master Edward to keep their secret.”

“Right, thanks Kreacher,” Teddy said with relief. “I’m sorry for the way he treats you, I’ll talk to him about it, okay? I… I won’t let him cloth you.”

“Young Master Edward is too kind. The stupid rebel master doesn’t deserve such a wonderful heir…”

They had to stop talking when Harry and Sirius barged into the room, laughing.

“Teddy, have you seen???? We each have our own bathroom!!!!!!” Harry declared excitedly.  
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Sorry about last week, life happened... But I'm here this week! Please tell me what you think about how is going this fic!!
> 
> See you!


	14. Summer Haze

The first day of Teddy’s summer started with a delicious odour of French toasts and scrambled eggs. It was still quite early for a holiday morning when the Hufflepuff boy came down from his new bedroom, yet Harry seemed to have invested the kitchen for a few hours already.

“Hello Harry,” Teddy yawned.

“Ah! Hello Teddy! I’m almost done. How was your night?” Harry asked brightly.

Teddy couldn’t stop the soft smile to bloom in his face. It was the exact same words his godfather had used every morning of his whole life. Harry had always been there when he woke up, preparing breakfast for their small family. The only difference was that now, his godfather was – almost – 12 too.

They started chatting as Teddy grabbed a few plates and helped his friend to set the table. It felt comfortable. It felt like home already.

Sirius appeared as they were finishing their breakfast.

“Wow! What are we celebrating? Did I miss one of your birthdays??” he exclaimed.

The boys laughed at his joke and Harry got up to prepare a plate for his godfather.

“Seriously… which one of you cursed Kreacher to force him to prepare something like that?” The man asked, sitting in front of Teddy. “I have had to fight with him for 3 months just to have coffee available in the cupboard when I wake up… I’m not even sure he’s ever prepared something like that to Reg…”

Harry chuckled lightly, putting a cup of coffee in front of him.

“Kreacher didn’t do anything. I did,” he said softly.

“What? You cooked?” Sirius said disbelievingly. When Harry nodded, a little less confidently, he frowned. “Kreacher!” he called sharply.

Teddy froze in his seat. Harry sent him a worried look. The old house-elf appeared in a crack.

“Master has called Kreacher…” he introduced himself.

“Bloody right I did. What is the meaning of this?! I told you yesterday that Harry was your master too. Why did he have to prepare his own breakfast, let alone ours too?!!!”

Kreacher sent a side-look to Harry, then a longer one to Teddy. “Young Blood-Traitor Son Master had told Kreacher he doesn’t need Kreacher help.”

“WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL HARRY?!!!!” Sirius got to his feet and yelled.

“Sirius!” Teddy stopped him immediately, stepping in.

He had noticed how Harry had distinctly flinched and he didn’t like the way Sirius was talking to Kreacher. He tried not to shiver when the icing grey eyes settled on him.

“I think… Harry just wanted to make us happy to celebrate the beginning of Summer. He… He is muggle-raised, he’s not used to working with house-elves. He didn’t even know about them until yesterday!”

Sirius’s eyes flicked to Harry. “Is that true?”

Harry slowly nodded. “I… I wanted to thank you for inviting us to your home and… Kreacher asked if he could help. He helped me with the stove! But I wanted to do it myself, I didn’t know it would put Kreacher into troubles…”

“Oh Harry, you don’t have to thank me. I’m your godfather, it’s just normal that I look after you! Same goes for you Teddy,” Sirius smiled at them, but his eyes were still ice cold when he turned to Kreacher. “But you, that doesn’t excuse for what you called Harry. He’s your master, you will respect him and stop calling him names! Am I clear?”

“Very clear, Master,” Kreacher sneered.

“Apologize to Harry!”

“Kreacher apologizes for speaking the truth about Young Master Harry Potter’s lineage,” the elf bowed very seriously before disappearing in a crack.

“This fucking…” Sirius started swearing before eyeing the two boys. “Sorry… I… He’s just… Urgh… coffee!”

Teddy and Harry stayed silent while Sirius started drinking his beverage. Teddy looked at his friend, wondering what he was going to do but Harry seemed far too uncomfortable for his own good. When he made a move toward the dishes, Sirius growled again.

“Leave it be!” he ordered. “Kreacher will do the dishes…”

“…ok…”

Teddy frowned at Harry’s small voice. Something was wrong with his friend he was now sure of it.

“Can we go… play gobstones outside?” Teddy asked.

“Sure! Go have fun, I’ll join you later!” Sirius smiled at them.

Teddy nodded and grabbed Harry’s wrist as he passed by him. Once they were outside and away from Sirius’s ears, Teddy looked back at him very seriously.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

Harry shuddered and looked away. “N-nothing… I don’t know what you’re talki…”

“Harry…” Teddy sighed. “You’re my best friend, it goes both ways. You’re not the only one to notice when something is off.”

Harry looked at him side-way before looking away again, stroking nervously his arm. “It’s nothing… it’s just… I didn’t know it was such a big deal when I told Kreacher I didn’t need his help…”

“It’s not,” Teddy assured him. “Sirius might be a bit of a traditionalist and I’m not sure Kreacher is really helping with his behaviour but… I think Sirius just got angry because he thought Kreacher didn’t even try to help you… It’s… Well, some house elves would rather hurt themselves than let their master cook for themselves…” he smiled softly as his friend. “I think Sirius just want us to feel welcome in his house and if you woke up without a breakfast because of a petulant house elf, well, it’s not really welcoming isn’t it?”

Harry nodded but he didn’t seem relieved at all.

“Harry, what is it, really?” Teddy asked with concerns.

“It’s just… What if Sirius got mad at us as he got mad at Kreacher? Kreacher didn’t do anything wrong and without even letting him a chance to explain he just…” Harry waved his hand instead of elaborating.

“Harry, Sirius is your godfather! He would never treat you like…”

“You don’t know that…” Harry corrected him. “You can never know… What if he got sick of us? I mean, if we can’t help Kreacher with the chores then… what can we do to help? I don’t want Sirius to think that we’re ungrateful brats and that he’d rather not have taken us in!”

Teddy felt sad to see his friend so distressed by the situation. He wasn’t sure Sirius had really done something to deserve this judgement…

“M-maybe we could find something that Kreacher cannot do… What kind of chores did you do at your relatives’?” Teddy asked.

“Well… I have loads of them… I cooked breakfast, but that’s obviously off-limit now. Do the dishes, the laundry, iron my Uncle’s shirts, vacuum the house, clean the toilet, the bathrooms and all the windows, tend to the garden, water the plants, wash the car…”

“Wow! Calm down!” Teddy chuckled. “I didn’t ask you for the list of chores you did during a whole year! Which ones did you do weekly?”

Harry looked at him without understanding.

“You didn’t do all that weekly, did you?” Teddy asked suddenly realizing that it could very much be the case.

“I… some of them were daily but…” Harry looked down ashamed.

“Oh, Harry…”

“I just have to earn my keep…” he muttered. “It wasn’t that bad once you’re used to it…”

But this very sentence sent shivers in Teddy’s whole body. His adult godfather hated that expression so much. He had gotten so mad when he had realized that his godson was doing more chores in the house than his wife…

“Wh-what happened if you didn’t do it all?”

Harry stared pointedly at his feet. “Oh, you know… Most of the time I was just grounded to my cupboard for a few hours or the night if it was a weekday. Sometimes I miss dinner but… that was not so bad. They just didn’t like me very much…”

Teddy didn’t like the unspoken punishments behind this sentence. He felt as if his breakfast had turned into stone in his stomach.

“Harry, this… Did you tell Sirius about that?”

“What?!! NO! No way!! If I tell him, he’ll know I’m a freak!!! You absolutely can’t tell him, Teddy!!!!”

Teddy froze. ‘ _Freak_ ’. His godfather’s forbidden word. The one insult he couldn’t forgive while Teddy was growing up.

“You can’t say that Harry…” Teddy mumbled. His eyes were burning because he knew how bad this word was for his friend. “You’re not a freak.”

“I am. But it’s okay. I just… I just don’t want Sirius to know. He… I don’t want him to hate me or… or to be ashamed of me or…”

“Harry, stop! You’re NOT a freak! You’re my best friend and you’re one of the best people I know! If you’re a freak, then I’m too!”

“No, you’re not! It’s not the same… Why are you crying?!! Stop crying! Okay, I’m not a freak! I’m sorry Teddy! Stop crying!!!”

But Teddy couldn’t. His mind was back to the time his godfather had scolded him for using this very word to describe one of his classmates. Teddy was only 6 but Harry had been very firm. Teddy was not to use that word ever again to describe someone. How could 12-year-old Harry use it to describe himself?!! Why would he do something like that???? Of course, Teddy started to understand but he didn’t like to understand something like that…

Soon enough, Teddy found himself in his friend’s tight embrace.

“Come on, Teddy. I promised Malfoy and it hasn’t even been 24 hours…” he was moaning in Teddy’s ear while gently stroking his back. “I don’t want him to curse me just yet…”

This comment made Teddy chuckled slightly. But when he got out of his friends’ arms, he looked at him very seriously.

“We have to tell Sirius, Harry,” he said. His tone didn’t let room for argument. “It’s not okay and it’s not nothing!”

“Teddy…” Harry moaned. “Please…”

“No. You don’t feel safe! It’s… Harry, when you feel like that, you need to tell an adult and your adult right now is Sirius so we’re going to tell him!”

Harry’s lips twisted. He didn’t seem so sure of that, but Teddy would have none of it.

“I’ll talk to him if you want. But he needs to know.”

Teddy had argued with Harry for 10 more minutes until the Gryffindor accepted that he talked to Sirius about what was going on.

Teddy found the adult of the House smoking a cigarette in the kitchen. He had apparently refilled his mug of coffee a few times already.

“Sirius?” he called.

The man blenched slightly. He was probably not used to have other people in the house yet. As soon as he saw Teddy, Sirius crushed his cigarette in a small ashtray.

“Hey, Teddy. Sorry I didn’t hear you here… Everything’s all right?” he asked with a smile which seemed a little forced. “Where’s Harry?”

Teddy grimaced. “In his room. He… I need to talk to you…”

Sirius caught up with the serious tone and only nodded, moving a chair next to him for Teddy to sit.

“Is it about your family?” he asked when Teddy stayed silent for too long.

Teddy looked up quickly before shaking his head. “No, it’s about Harry…” he mumbled. “He… he told me something before and… Well, I think you need to know…”

It was harder than Teddy had thought, and he certainly didn’t expect Sirius to stop him at this point.

“Wait, Teddy. You’re Harry’s best friend. If it’s something Harry told you in confidence, I don’t want you to betray his trust! He’ll tell me when he’s ready.”

Teddy looked at the man. “It’s okay, he knows. I told him I was going to tell you.”

“And he is okay with it?”

“Not at first… But my godfather taught me that there was no secret when I or another child felt unsafe about a situation and that the best thing to do was always to talk to an adult about it… Harry accepted.”

Sirius nodded slowly. Now, he was probably very nervous about where this conversation was going.

“You need to know he doesn’t like the way you treated Kreacher this morning and he felt responsible for it… He… He was afraid you could turn out to treat us like that if we don’t help around the house.” Sirius opened his mouth to argue but Teddy continued to talk and stop him. “I know you won’t! Well, I don’t believe you could… But anyway, Harry got scared and… basically, he told me that his relatives had been treating him like a house-elf for years…”

Sirius blanched. “When you said, like a house-elf…” he repeated.

“I’m speaking mostly about the chores and he had loads of them and… and I think he got punished when he didn’t do them all. He told me he slept in a cupboard until last summer and… and he thinks he’s a freak and I know that’s a very very bad word for him so… so I think you need to talk to him and that you also need to be careful about how you treat Kreacher around him because you really scared him this morning….” Teddy finished, looking down.

Of course, Teddy didn’t know all the details, that was for Harry to tell later, but at least, Sirius knew that something was going on.

“Okay…” Sirius breathed after long seconds. “I’ll talk to him and I’ll try to be careful, but I can’t stand Kreacher looking down on Harry…”

“I’ll talk to Kreacher,” Teddy promised. “He… I think he likes me so maybe he’ll listen.”

“One day, you’ll tell me how you manage to put him in your pocket so quickly,” Sirius joked.

He got up and went to the door, probably going to check on Harry. Teddy allowed himself a long sigh, taking his head with his hands. It was so hard not to think about what about his godfather had been through growing up. If it was so bad already, what would have happened if he had stayed with the Dursleys until he was 17?!!

“Kid?” Sirius called him from the door. Teddy looked back at him. The man was grinning proudly. “You did the right thing. You’re a good friend. Harry’s lucky to have you.”

A soft smile sprouted on Teddy’s face. It didn’t matter, his godfather would never go back there ever again…

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, I'm slightly late, but here I am!


	15. Unexpected encounters

After what happened the first day of summer, Harry didn’t talk much about his home life at the Dursleys’... Well, not to Teddy, at least. The Hufflepuff knew he was talking a bit to Sirius about it, so he thought it was okay. For what he was understanding, Sirius was trying to convince Harry to go see his mind healer with him sometimes. So far, Harry had always refused.

Sirius had therapy twice a week, so he occasionally left them alone. The first afternoon he did, Harry and Teddy went to the cinema and they initially planned to see _Batman Returns_ but the lady at the cashier wouldn’t let them unaccompanied so they ended up seeing _Sister Act_. It was actually Harry’s first time in a cinema if he didn’t count that one time, he went to see a documentary with his elementary school.

That night, when they told Sirius what they did with their afternoon, he had very _Sirius_ -ly pouted and sulked for a while. He made them promise to take him next time. And they ended up seeing _Batman Returns_ together the very next day.

Every other night, Teddy talked to Draco through the mirror. The Slytherin seemed to spend a good summer too. He and his mother had decided to go to France for a few weeks. Teddy was relieved that everything was going okay.

Teddy spent most of his days trying to find a way to convince Kreacher to behave in front of Sirius and Harry. He had a lot of time to himself because he didn’t want to interfere with Harry’s and Sirius’s bonding relationship. Thankfully, he was more than okay to spend hours in the library rather than playing Quidditch outside.

Those quiet times gave him the opportunity to have a good first hand on his homework and to shove it into Harry’s face when they received Hermione’s first owl of the summer, asking them how far along they were.

The Hufflepuff eventually agreed to spend one hour every evening in Regulus Black’s body to please Kreacher. He also offered him to help him write down Regulus’s last heroic act. He was planning on giving the result to Sirius and maybe heal a little bit Kreacher’s bond with his new master. It wasn’t easy. Kreacher wasn’t the best orator so Teddy often had to go back to what he wrote and try to correct a few elements he got wrong the first time.

It during one of those evenings, at the beginning of July, that Sirius knocked at Teddy’s door and entered without letting him the time to answer or change back.

“Hey, kid, would you mind if I’m coming in for a minute, there’s something I’d like to tell you and Har…ry…”

Sirius’s voice died in his throat when he actually looked up to the kid in the room. He completely froze and his face lost all colours. Teddy was in the same state of shock until he got hold of himself and quickly turned back to his more usual self. Sirius blanched even more.

Kreacher suddenly appeared between Sirius and Teddy.

“Master Sirius shouldn’t get angry with Young Master Edward! Kreacher asks for it, Master Sirius. Kreacher is too blame and will punish himself if Master Sirius agrees not to…”

“Kreacher, stop. It’s okay,” Teddy mumbled, putting a hand on the old elf’s shoulder. “Leave us, please…”

Kreacher looked at Teddy for long seconds and disappeared in a pop.

“So-sorry… I… it’s… I… Kreacher just likes it when…” Teddy stuttered without daring look at Sirius in the eyes. “I’m sorry Sirius… I… I should have told you but… Ah! I can just change my appearance, I’m not really Regulus! I swear!”

Sirius sneered and let himself crash down on the bed. “Of course, you’re not Regulus… you’re nothing like my brother and trust me it’s better that way, kid…” Sirius started laughing. It wasn’t a happy laugh… it was nervous, and it made Teddy feel really uncomfortable. ”I wasn’t expecting it… I guess that explains why Kreacher love you so much… Why didn’t you tell me you were a metamorphmagus?”

Teddy looked down. He didn’t really know what to say. The main reason he kept it quiet was because it could easily link him to his mother…

“I don’t really like to talk about it…” he muttered.

“Why? Did you know it’s a well-known Black family gift? Well, we haven’t had any for centuries but that makes two in a few decades! My cousin’s daughter got the gift too, she’s a little older than you and training to become an Auror right now…”

Teddy pointedly looked at the ground. He couldn’t allow himself to react to this casual talk about his mother.

“What’s going on?” Harry’s voice asked from the door.

“Why didn’t you tell me Teddy was a Metamorphmagus?” Sirius asked happily.

“A what?”

“A Metamorphmagus, he can change his physical appearance at will without any spell or potion.”

Teddy could feel Harry’s eyes on him. He couldn’t look up. He couldn’t see the look of betrayal on his young godfather’s face. Now, Harry knew he had been hiding stuff from him again.

“You didn’t know?” Sirius’s voice guessed.

Harry must have answered this question silently because the atmosphere in the room suddenly turned colder.

“Hey, Teddy? Why didn’t you even tell Harry? Why would you keep that kind of secret from your best friend?”

“Does Malfoy know?” Harry mumbled without waiting for his answer.

Teddy shivered at how hurt his friend sounded. “No, he doesn’t know either!” he exclaimed finally looking up. “I just… I don’t like… I got in troubles because of it when I was younger and I just… I didn’t want to show off.”

“What kind of troubles?” Sirius asked slowly after a long silence.

“Just… I went to a muggle elementary school, okay? And when I came in one day with bright blue hair, my godfather got summoned to the director’s office. He got scolded badly and they even menaced him to call the social services if he didn’t prove himself worthy of raising me properly… I didn’t want to cause troubles for him, so I just trained to keep it quiet… my aunt found it creepy anyway so…”

“How could this incredible gift be considered creepy?!! It’s been the pride of the Black Family for generations! Is your aunt muggle-born or something?”

“No… she’s a pureblood…”

“It’s the aunt you don’t like, right? Your godfather’s wife?” Harry asked in a small voice.

Teddy eyed him and nodded.

“And your godfather took her side?!” Sirius exclaimed. “I thought he was a great guy!”

“He didn’t…” Teddy mumbled. “I just choose to try and control this curs… this gift. I didn’t have the choice if I was to stay in a muggle school anyway and… He said that I didn’t have to and that he could just put a notice-me-not charm on me but… I was the one who decided to keep it a secret okay?!!”

“Teddy… did your aunt… I mean your godfather’s wife… Did she do something to you?” Harry asked still with the same small voice as before – as if he was afraid to hear the answer to his question.

Teddy looked at him without really understanding where he was going.

“Harry has been worried about you because he thinks that your godfather’s wife might be the same kind of people as his relatives are…” Sirius explained, putting a comforting hand on Harry’s shoulder. “I tried to explain to him that I doubt your awesome godfather would put up with someone like that, especially after what you told me about not keeping a secret when it involves a child not feeling safe…”

“But he did keep this a secret!” Harry intervened. “It… It’s the second time you keep something that big from us and… I told you everything. I thought you trusted me…”

“I trust you, Harry!” Teddy cried. “I swear, I trust you! It’s just… I’m… I don’t want everyone in school to know and… I just didn’t think about it!”

“It’s been only the two of us in this house for weeks now and you still said nothing!” Harry accused him. “You barely spend time with me at all! How many other things are you keeping from me?!! Do you think I would snitch on you to my other friends if you had told me to keep it a secret?!!!”

Teddy chocked. He wasn’t prepared to be assaulted so vehemently by his friend.

“Okay, boys, stop!” Sirius placed himself between them. “I was initially coming in to tell you that I’ll have a friend coming over tomorrow. He’s a good block and he wants to meet you. Be nice, okay?”

The two boys remained painfully silent.

“Okay. Teddy, we’ll talk about your love of turning into my dead brother at night, later…” Sirius announced. “Harry, would you mind coming with me, I need to talk to you about something!”

And with that, Teddy was left alone in his room. He didn’t listen to Kreacher when the elf came back and tried to cheer him up by insulting Harry and Sirius. He just launched himself on the bed and tried to muffle his sob in his pillow.

He thought that Harry had taken his lie about his godfather’s presence in his life well – or at least better than Draco, but he had been wrong. Harry had been hurt… so much hurt by his lies and now… Teddy just hated that Harry would think that he didn’t trust him! That was why he didn’t want to lie! But how could he explain that he didn’t have a choice if not by speaking yet another lie…

Teddy cried himself to sleep and the next morning, when he woke up, he felt so empty that his pounding headache echoed in his whole body. He certainly wasn’t ready to face his godfather down for breakfast. He entertained the idea of cowardly asking Kreacher to bring him something to eat in his room, but he knew it would be unfair. Teddy hardly ever fought with his godfather growing up, but he did have sulked a few times. Harry had always been okay with it as long as they kept on taking their meals together as a family.

“Family are people that would always be around even when you think you don’t want them,” he had told Teddy. “And when you’re older, you’ll realize that it’s during those times that you actually need them the most.”

Harry knew his trick because it was impossible to stay mad at him when he happily added up pancaked in Teddy’s plate. He would then tell Teddy of all the times he had fought with Uncle Ron and sometimes Aunt Mione along the years and how they would always make up without even realized it. Because they were family… Maybe soon-to-be-12-year-old Harry was already like that? Maybe Teddy was already his family, so they were going to be okay, he just had to go through breakfast and see…

So much thinking in the morning made Teddy late for breakfast anyway. He knew that Sirius was already up because the door of his room was open when he passed by. He walked hesitantly to the kitchen and was surprised when he heard laughers coming from the room.

“… And that’s when your mother decided that your father was a complete wanker, pup!” Sirius was laughing, quickly followed by Harry’s giggling.

“Come on, Pads. You can’t say that. Lily’s already known the truth about James long before that day!” Another cheerful voice added.

Teddy was opening the door at this point and completely froze when he discovered the man sitting at the table with Sirius and Harry. Of course, he should have known when Sirius had talked about a _friend_ coming over last night but he had been so overwhelmed by the situation with Harry that he hadn’t thought about it.

“Hey, kid! It seems that finally one of you understood what an appropriate raising time should be during the summer!” Sirius joked happily.

Teddy barely registered the way Harry focused unnaturally on his hot chocolate. He didn’t have the time to feel hurt or brave. Not with those shiny amber eyes watching him.

“Hello, you must be Teddy? I’m Sirius’s friend. Remus Lupin, nice to meet you,” the man introduced himself with a smile.  
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes... sorry... and the worst part is that I probably won't have time to post next week... X)  
> What do you think????


	16. Absurdity

Teddy’s world was slowly crashing down as he watched his _father_ bickering with Sirius about the colour of the paint they should put in the new, soon-to-be TV room.

After a quick introduction during which Teddy barely managed to produce more than two words, Sirius had told them of his plan for the day – or rather next week. Apparently, he had decided that he could transform his mother’s old boudoir in a brand-new sitting room full of muggles devices.

A few weeks before, after watching Batman at the cinema, Teddy had compared it to James Bond and then, Harry and he had spent the next few days trying to explain different aspects of the movies to Sirius. The man was now willing to see all the movies he could and to invest in a state-of-the-art TV and VHS reader (as for 1992… Teddy had reminded himself when they went to an electronic store to buy a gigantic cathodic screen). As Harry was trying to explain the different functionalities of the TV screen, Teddy had gotten distracted by the _new_ Gameboy by Nintendo and ended up wondering if Pokemon existed in 1992. Apparently not since the main game promoted with the console was Tetris…

After coming back to Grimmauld Place, Sirius had realized – even if Teddy had told him so before – that magic interfered with electronics so he couldn’t run the TV inside the house. They eventually discovered that his mother’s boudoir was slightly less exposed than the rest of the house. When asked, Kreacher had explained to them that was because his mistress had been sick while pregnant with Regulus and the mediwizard had then preconized that she stayed in a magical free environment. They had purified the room for that occasion but had done nothing to keep it that way ever since. Thus, Remus’s presence that very day as he could help with the charm work necessary while Sirius focused on restoring the runic circles around the room.

Meanwhile, Harry and Teddy were expected to help clean the room and to redecorate it ‘ _muggle way_ ’ as part of their ‘ _Summer Holidays chores_ ‘. Teddy was sure Sirius had worked on that excuse with his mind healer to help Harry feel more comfortable in the house…

Anyway, the two boys were supposed to help, but Teddy really couldn’t concentrate because his bloody not-so-dead-yet father was just a few meters away from him and he felt like crying every single minute and it was stupid because he didn’t even know the man! Harry had always been his only father figure so why was he feeling so sensitive right now??

“Hey, Teddy? Are you okay?” Harry mumbled next to him.

At the beginning of the day, Harry had tried to pretend that he was still mad at him but as the hours passed by and Teddy was looking more and more awkward and silent worry won him over.

“If it’s because of yesterday, I just wanted to say…”

“It’s not,” Teddy cut him, finally managing to look away from his father. “You were right, I shouldn’t have kept it from you… I just didn’t want to talk about it at school and then I didn’t think about telling you because… well, I don’t know, it’s not a big deal for me,” he explained, a little more harshly than intended. He really didn’t feel well in his father’s presence and was hoping to escape for a bit.

“Ok…” Harry said uncertainly, he still looked worried and hurt though. Teddy saw the look he sent to Sirius and the way the man answered him. He knew the two of them had been talking about him. He didn’t really know how he felt about that… and now his _dead_ father was looking at him too…

“I need to pee…” he announced for whoever wanted to know before escaping the suffocating room.

He knew coming live with Harry and Sirius might have been a bad idea. Maybe he could ask Draco and his mother to spend a few days at Malfoy Manor… They came back to the UK a few days back. He didn’t know how long his father would be staying though… maybe he’d never really go away. Teddy knew Sirius was one of his father best friends… well, the only best friend he had left alive, really… He knew about it… For a month, he had even pointedly escaped to the Black Library every time Sirius would offer Harry to show him some pictures about his parents and their friends…

“Teddy? Do you mind if we talk a minute?” a soft voice asked behind him and Teddy shivered.

Remus went to put a hand on his shoulder, but Teddy unconsciously shoved it off. It didn’t want that! He knew he would crack down if he allowed himself to… He needed to flee, quick!!

However, Remus didn’t insist and just kneeled to be at Teddy’s eyes level.

“Sorry, I didn’t want to scare you… Sirius mentioned that you had kind of a fight with Harry last night and that you may be a little cranky today but… I wanted to make sure I… I feel that you don’t like me very much and if I said or did something that put you off or made a very bad first impression, please tell me.”

Teddy looked at the man. He seemed so genuinely concerned. But he didn’t even know him! He didn’t know who he was! Or maybe he knew because the wolf sensed it! What if the wolf could tell???

“Calm down,” Remus whispered. “I swear I’m not your enemy… Actually, Sirius told me we were quite similar… I was more of a bookworm than a Quidditch fan myself growing up. Sirius was worried that you spent too much time alone or with only Kreacher as a company and ask me if I could help you with your homework or with any academical project you may have… Well, to be honest, I’m quite abyssal in Potion and Harry told me it was one of your strong subjects… but you can ask me anything about Charms or History or magical creatures and I’ll be your man! What do you say? Do you think we can become partners?”

Teddy was so tensed he wondered how he could still breath and when Remus made a new attempt of physical contact with him, he instinctively stepped back to avoid him.

“Okay… maybe it’s too soon…” the man said with a pretended light tone. “We can just start by trying to get to know each other? I…”

But as Teddy kept on reacting defensively to his every word, Remus’s mood started to become darker.

“Did you already know about me? Did Sirius perhaps tell you wh-what I am?”

The betrayal in his father’s voice shattered something in Teddy’s heart. What Sirius could have told him that would hurt Remus that much? He didn’t want his stupid sensitiveness and unsolicited reaction to stain his father’s relationship with his best friend! What could have he say that… and then Teddy lost himself in those hurtful amber eyes and he understood. He thought about all the times the other magical kids cast him away without knowing him just because he was the son of a werewolf… The feeling of rejection, of not belonging…

“It’s not because of that!” he exclaimed suddenly. “Sirius didn’t betray you! He didn’t tell me you’re a werewolf! It’s just that…”

“You’re a werewolf????” Harry’s voice exclaimed behind Remus’ back.

A deadly silence fell on the corridor. Remus had turned deadly pale; Harry had an expression of pure shock on his face and Sirius was staring at Teddy as if he had grown another head.

Teddy’s breath got stuck on his lungs. What had he just done??? Did he just accidentally provoke his father’s coming out???? Was the first bloody full sentence he had managed to say to the man just ruined his relationship with Harry??? Harry who would see him as the first father figure of his life in just a few year spans????

“I… I’m sorry…” he sobbed before finally running away from this whole situation.

He locked himself in his bedroom and started crying uncontrollably. What had he done?!!! What if Harry’s impression of Remus was tarnished forever?!! What if he asked Sirius to not see Remus ever again?!! What if Sirius hated Teddy for what he just did?? What if he threw him out?!!! Should he prepare his bag?

He barely noticed the pop sound next to him.

“Young Master Edward?” Kreacher asked. “What is happening? Is Master Sirius and Young Master Harry mean to Young Master Edward again?”

“It’s not that…” Teddy sobbed. “I… I accidentally exposed my father’s secret… now Harry knows that he’s a werewolf because of me… Sirius is going to kick me out…”

“Young Master Edward’s father?”

Teddy froze. “Oh no! No! No! No! Kreacher! You can’t tell anyone what I have just said!! Please!!!”

“Is it Young Master Edward’s order?”

Teddy had only time to nod before someone knocked at his door. Sirius entered a few seconds later, followed by Remus and then, Harry who still seemed pretty shocked.

“Teddy, what’s wrong with you?!!” Sirius interrogated him. “How do you know?! Was your godfather working on a case including werewolves? Was he investigating Remus???”

Teddy stepped back from where he was standing. Something in the man’s eyes scared him. This was it… This was the end…

“Sirius… calm down…” Remus sighed beside him. “If Teddy knows, it’s only natural he would be so… guarded… around me since this morning… It’s not his fault.” He then looked at Teddy. “I promise, I won’t hurt you. The w-wolf only show up during the full moon… We just… we want to know how you know about me?”

Teddy stayed silent. How could he tell them… He crossed Harry’s eyes. He seemed so lost.

“Kreacher has told Young Master Edward about the half-breed! Kreacher is to blame not Young Master Edward!” the house-elf squeaked.

“What?!!!” Sirius roared taking out his wand against the old elf.

“No!” Teddy stopped him. “No! Kreacher is lying! He didn’t tell me!! Sirius, stop!!” His heart was pounding against his chest. He was so sick of all those lies!! “It’s because you,” he started looking at Remus, but he couldn’t keep his gaze up. “you’re like my father… he… he was a werewolf too and… and I was scared you could tell and… I’m sorry Harry… I know it’s another thing I didn’t tell you about me but… but you don’t know what it’s like! You don’t know how people treat me because of it! And…”

“I knew…” Harry said softly.

“What?” Teddy looked at his friend.

“I knew,” he repeated. “Malfoy told me. Ah! Not on purpose, mind you. He just… I asked him why you asked for aconites with lilies for your parents’ death anniversary and… he answered without thinking about it. Then, he menaced me to curse me and my family for generations if I was to ever tell it to any other living or sentient being…” he spurted.

Teddy kept looking at his friend. He reminded him of Victoire when he received his Hogwarts Letter and she didn’t…

“Harry… are you jealous of Draco?” Teddy asked disbelievingly.

“I’m not!” Harry yelled.

“You are, pup…” Sirius chuckled softly.

“Look, who’s speaking… Should we talk about the way you treated Lily when she started going out with James?” Remus smiled.

“Don’t you dare…” Sirius groaned.

“I’m not jealous!!” Harry insisted without convincing anyone. “It’s just… I know you spend more time with him because of everything that had been going on with him this year and he didn’t have any other friend and… but it’s not fair! It’s… you’re my first friend and… and he’s a git!! So why do you always tell HIM everything?!!!”

“I tell you a lot of things too!”

“Well, obviously less stuffs! We’ve lived in the same house for almost one month and you barely talk to me! It’s like… it’s like you don’t want to be here!!”

“It’s not that, Harry!”

“Then why?!! Do you hate Sirius??? Do you hate me?!”

“Of course, I don’t hate you!!! Are you daft?!! You’re my best friend!!”

“Then what?!”

“I just try not to be in the way! Sirius is YOUR godfather, not mine!!”

“That’s stupid!”

“No more than you being jealous of Draco! Do you know how his life has been like this year?!!”

“I’m not jealous! I know! I saw but it’s a fact you spent all your times with him and now that he’s not here, you’re avoiding me! I know that you two bounded over your daddy issues and you just like him better…”

“What Daddy issues?!”

“Well, you lost your godfather and he lost his father… and.. and I know I don’t understand what’s like because I don’t have a father or any family at all, so, of course, I don’t know what it’s like to lose them… But I can still listen!”

“Well, you’re my best friend so I hope that you’ll never know what it’s like and that Sirius and Remus won’t ever die!!!” Teddy yelled back.

Silence answered his words.

After a few seconds, Sirius cleared his throat. “Well, I hope we won’t die too soon too…”

This declaration broke the tension in the room. Without realizing Teddy’s sobs turned into laughs.

“You two are just so much the same…” he explained looking at Harry.

“Who?” Harry asked defensively.

“You and Draco… he’s so jealous of you too…” Teddy continued laughing.

“Why would he be?”

“Well… for starters, I spent the last month of school hearing ‘ _I just left you for 5 minutes and HE gets to adopt you_ ’,” Teddy said.

“It wasn’t like that! We just learnt that your godfather was d… well, that you were basically homeless and that magically somehow, Sirius was your guardian!!”

“He said that as a Black, his mother could foster me easily too… Even if I haven’t been a Black, actually…”

“Do you want to go live there?!”

“No! I’m just saying that you two are the same and that you both feel like I give more to the other than to you…”

Harry hmphed, “You didn’t give me anything… It was just timing and I wouldn’t have skipped the occasion… You’re my best friend and that was the perfect opportunity to make you my brother…”

Both adults in the room started laughing too and Harry eventually followed them. The situation was really too absurd in the end.  
 


	17. The talk

After all the drama of that day, Sirius decided that he would order pizza to make it better and proposed they eat it in front of his mother’s painting just to creep her out. Thankfully, Remus was now there to tell him it was a bad idea and surprisingly, Sirius listened. 

Harry was still acting a bit uncomfortable, but Teddy took it upon himself to give him a long hug and hopefully, they were better again. Teddy was actually finding it funny that his godfather was acting so childishly, but now he was a child too after all. 

Sirius told them that Remus will be staying with them for a while – until the renovation work was finished, at least – and the werewolf quickly added that, of course, he would not stay in the house during the full moon or the few days before and after it. Sirius had been ready to argue with that, but Remus wouldn’t let him. The man actually tried to smile reassuringly at Teddy but the young Hufflepuff wasn’t sure how he should react to his _not-dead_ father just yet. 

That night, as Teddy was making himself ready for bed, someone softly knocked at his door. He was surprised that Sirius finally got that basic rule of courtesy, but it turned out it wasn’t Sirius at the other side of the door.

“Hey, do you mind if we talk together for a bit? I made hot chocolate…” Remus pleaded when Teddy opened the door. 

The boy nodded because he didn’t have the heart to reject his father even more than he had been all day long. He let the man in and sat on the bed, a fuming mug on his hands. Remus sat on the desk chair in front of him. 

“What are you working on?” the man asked. 

“I’m helping Kreacher to write the story of his master Regulus… He meant a lot for him…” Teddy answered, there was no need to lie about that. 

Remus frowned. “Sirius’s little brother? Sirius told me he caught you impersonating him yesterday… You gave him the scare of his life! Wasn’t he a Death Eater?”

Teddy shook his head. “Well, his parents made him took the Mark but, according to Kreacher, he betrayed Voldemort before he died…”

“He ran away, right?”

“No, he actively went against him! He…” Teddy stopped, he couldn’t tell him about the horcruxes, right? “I’m still trying to get the end of it by Kreacher… It helps him to come to closure with it and… I don’t even know if it’s true, really…”

“Okay… Do you plan on giving it to Sirius when it’ll be finished?”

“M-maybe…”

“Regulus meant a lot to him too, even if he wouldn’t admit it after everything that happened…” Remus nodded, letting go of the pieces of paper. 

Teddy nodded. He got a point, giving a copy of that story to Sirius could also help with the relationship between the house-elf and his new master…

“Can I be honest with you, Teddy?” Remus asked. “Sirius had noticed what you were trying to do with Harry. He told me that you were certainly holding back, and he asked me to come over because he didn’t want you to feel like he was neglecting Harry if he spends more time with you himself…”

Teddy was looking at his knees. Had he been so bad at hiding what he was thinking?

“Do you know why Sirius accept you in so easily?”

“… because I’m the Black Heir and he’s Lord Black… and because I’m Harry’s friend…” Teddy answered. 

“Yes, but not only… It’s because it was what the Potters’, Harry’s grandparents, had done for him when he was 16. He knows how it feels to desperately need a home and to feel guilty about stealing his best friend’s parents. He told me how he had always felt bad whenever the Potters paid him more attention than to James… I don’t think it was true, though, as for me the Potters loved them both equally. But still, it was how Sirius felt when he was younger. He didn’t think that he deserved to be as loved as James because he wasn’t the Potters’ child no matter what they might say. He thought you might be the same and he wanted to be there for you without having you feel guilty about it. Did he nail it?”

Teddy nodded despite himself. Indeed, he had tried to give Sirius and Harry as much space as possible, but he didn’t really feel left out.

“Harry deserves to have a real family…” he mumbled. 

“But so do you…” Remus sighed. 

“I already have one!” Teddy answered defensively. 

“We know! And we’re not trying to replace them. If we can, we’ll help you find them back too… But right now, just like Harry, you need, and you deserve people around you.”

The boy didn’t answer. Sure, it was better having people around than spending his holidays alone like he did the previous year, but it’s so much more difficult to keep his secrets when people were worrying around H24…

“Tell me, Teddy, can I ask you something a bit strange?” Remus continued. “Have we ever met? I mean, before today?”

Teddy froze at that question. 

“N-no…” he answered and immediately wanted to slap himself with how much his lie sounded noticeable. 

“I wanted to ask you because you… smell familiar…” Remus said. He chuckled then. “Sorry, I know that sounds weird but since you know about the wolf… I mean… Well, when I saw you this morning, you smelled like p… family. But maybe it’s just because you’re a wolf cub…”

Teddy tried to drown his anxiety in his hot chocolate and when the sweet taste touched his tongue, it immediately cleared his mind. 

“It’s sooo good…” he moaned slightly, and Remus chuckled again. 

“Is it? I’m glad you like it! It’s kind of my speciality!”

Teddy smiled at that. He knew. His godfather had told him countless times that his father’s hot chocolates were the best in the world! Even when you weren’t just attacked by dementors!

“I… I can smell it too…” Teddy conceded after a few seconds. “I’m not a werewolf, I’ve never transformed, but I have some of my father’s blood and my smell and my ears are slightly better than average…” He smiled softly. “I have those two friends, they are 3rd year Gryffindors and they are twins, and nobody can tell them apart! Not even their other brothers or their parents! But I can, because they don’t smell exactly the same… George is more like gunpowder and pepper whereas Fred is spice and smoke… Anyway, it’s driving them crazy that I can always tell who is who! I’ll never give them my secret though!”

At this point, Teddy was grinning, and he certainly wasn’t ready to see the proud smile in his father’s eyes when he looked at him. 

“Sirius told me you were a Hufflepuff… but you’re definitely a marauder, aren’t you?”

“Everyone should just stop underestimating Hufflepuffs!” Teddy declared, diving back to his hot chocolate to hide the pinkness of joy sprouting in his cheeks. His father had called him a marauder… 

He tensed a little when the mattress sank slightly next to him. “I agree with you,” Remus said from his new spot at Teddy’s side. “Everyone always just underestimates Hufflepuffs, but they are formidable allies in all occasions. Do you enjoy your house?”

Teddy nodded in his hot chocolate. 

“Am I too close?” Remus asked then. 

Teddy shrugged. 

“Harry told me you love hugs?”

Teddy pinched his lips. Harry should close his mouth sometimes. 

“It’s okay, I know you just don’t know me that well just yet…” Remus smiled softly and move a few centimetres away from him. “Teddy? There’s another reason Sirius asked me to get involved with you… It’s about your godfather and your family. You see, he tried to get a little more information at the Ministry and, of course, the Department of Mysteries hold its name for a reason. The only memo he got stated that, you, as a close relative to an undercover Unspeakable was most certainly under a Fidelius Charm regarding anything that might have to do with your godfather’s missions. As you’re still very young, you don’t have the mental tools to deal with this kind of heavy engagement. Asking you too many questions about him could permanently damage your psych so we should refrain from doing so in any circumstances… Sirius asked for my help because I kind of became obsessed with the Fidelius Charm over the last 10 years and… well, he was hoping I’d be more qualified to help you deal with your… grief…”

Teddy remained silent while processing those pieces of information. He was pretty sure he wasn’t under a Fidelius Charm, if he wanted to, he could tell Remus everything…

“It’s because of that that Sirius and Harry haven’t asked about it?” he guesses. Now that he was thinking about it, even Draco didn’t ask him more about his godfather’s ‘ _accident_ ’ or the rest of his family’s whereabouts.

“It is. They have so many questions, but your safety is more important. If you ever want to talk about it, they are more than happy to listen… Sirius just thought it would be easier for you to talk with someone less involved in your life and that I could act more quickly if I noticed that the Fidelius had been triggered…”

Teddy could have laughed about the irony of that last sentence… Remus was everything but less involved in his life. He was his father…

“Can… can I see that memo?”

“Sure! It’s at Gringotts right now, I could take you tomorrow if you want?”

“I… I would like that,” Teddy admitted, pinching his lips again. 

He had finished his hot chocolate. Would it be okay if he talked just a little bit?

“My father died when I was a baby… It’s always been my godfather and me, really… Well… there were also all his friends who were like Aunts and Uncles to me my whole life but… it’s not the same and, even if we aren’t blood-related, I love him…” he started.

“Nobody will try and replace him, I promise Teddy. We just want you to be comfortable and to know that you can rely on us. Do you want us to try and find your Aunts and Uncles for you?”

Teddy shook his head, refusing his help. To be honest, he wasn’t sure he wanted to go back even if he could… Well, of course, he would like to tell them that he was okay but as far as he had understood from his readings, time wasn’t linear so he would never know if anyone had even noticed his absence, really…

Teddy looked at his father. He seemed so sincere. He was really trying but there was nothing to do on that matter. 

“My godfather didn’t know that much about my father’s condition… My father was like a mentor for him, so I guess they didn’t talk a lot about that… He was only 17 when my parents died and…”

“He was still at Hogwarts?” Remus said surprised. 

Teddy nodded. “Well, to be honest, he dropped out…”

“Harry told us your parents fought for the light side, maybe we knew them. If you could just give us their name, we could…”

Teddy shook his head again. 

“They were older… you wouldn’t…”

“We could get in touch with Dumbledore if you…”

“No! Dumbledore should never get involved!!!” Teddy stopped him immediately. 

Remus was taken aback by his reaction, but he recovered quickly. 

“Okay, Teddy. Don’t worry, we won’t talk to anyone without your consent.”

Teddy nodded again. Dumbledore was too dangerous. He would definitely make the connection with the letter he received last summer. What if the Headmaster told him that he shouldn’t have messed with time?! Would he be powerful enough to correct Teddy’s interference for the ‘ _Greater Good_? What if he decided that Teddy couldn’t stay with his godfathers and friends anymore??? 

“Hey? Teddy? It’s okay, I won’t talk to him, I promise.”

Teddy took a deep breath. He shouldn’t think about Dumbledore. As long as no one knew about his origins, he would be okay… and it wasn’t the subject he wanted to talk about with his father anyway. 

“I just… would you be okay if we talk about your… condition?” Teddy asked finally. “Not today!” he added when he saw Remus was hesitating. “But one day… I would love to know more about my dad and…” The words died in his throat. ‘ _and you’re my dad_ ’ remained unsaid. 

“O-okay,” Remus conceded after a few seconds of silence. “I can’t promise it’s what he went through though, but I agree to talk to you about my own experience of lycanthropy, if you want me to…”

“Thanks…” Teddy mumbled and then he looked at Remus sideway. 

Then the man started rambling about how right Sirius had been when he had thought they were similar and about how he was sure his friend would just brag about it until the end of their life and that he wouldn’t ever hear the end of it…

Teddy wasn’t really listening. He had something else in mind. Could he really? “I… I do love hugs…” he said in a very low whisper. 

“Oh… So, does it mean I pass the test?” Remus joked. 

“It wasn’t a test!!” Teddy corrected him immediately, but the man was just chuckling, and he took him in his arms. 

Teddy was immediately overwhelmed by the scent of his father, the warmth of his body, the tenderness of his hug. He totally dived in it. 

Remus started stroking his hair lightly. “Don’t worry, son. We have you now…” he was humming, unknowing of the impact of his words on the young Hufflepuff. 

The next day, right to his promise, Remus had taken Teddy to Gringotts and the goblins agreed to give Teddy the report about in godfather’s supposed activity. It was like Remus had said, non-sense about a Fidelius Charm and a reminder about the side effect it could have on a young mind if triggered too frequently. 

The report was only signed by three letters ‘ _HBP_ ’. Teddy had no idea who it could be. He had asked the goblins if they knew more about it. 

“It seemed that you finally found the outside help that you were looking for last summer…” the creature answered mysteriously before giving him another sealed letters. 

‘ _Mister Wolfe,  
As you might want to know, your godfather’s latest request had been executed by Albus Dumbledore as asked. _

_To your perfect knowledge, the Snake wasn’t completely a snake yet and had been able to bring further information. Unlike your godfather’s assumption and even if she confirmed he might have been right would the Dark Lord lived a few months longer, she was not the bearer of His soul yet…_

_Your godfather talked about a 7th Horcrux in his last letter. May you bring Albus Dumbledore information on the matter as soon as possible so he can finish your godfather’s task to its end._

_Best Regards,_

_HBP_ ”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 10 points to whatever House if someone finds who is HBP at the first try! (Just Kidding)


	18. End of Summer

The end of the summer passed by relatively unnoticed.

Well, that wasn’t really true…

Teddy decided to let the mysterious _HBP_ be for now. Maybe destroying the other 5 Horcruxes and catching Voldemort would be enough. Maybe he didn’t need to tell them that Harry was the last Horcrux… Anyway, he certainly couldn’t give them that piece of crucial information as long as he wouldn’t be sure of who they were and that they wouldn’t decide to just kill Harry as safety precautions… So, on that part, nothing noticeable happened…

But otherwise…

There had been Neville’s birthday, then Harry’s birthday. Ron and Hermione and the Twins had come over at Grimmauld Place.

At first, Harry had told them that he didn’t want to celebrate. However, after a good talk with Sirius, they discovered that he just didn’t want to force a party on Teddy on his godfather’s _death anniversary_. After confirming with Teddy that that wasn’t an issue, Sirius had called an emergency meeting and told the two boys to just stop worried silently for each other and to speak their feelings to their best friends in this kind of situation. Once again, Remus did a humorous innuendo about the speaker of that truth… but, according to Sirius, teenage Remus was no better on that matter anyway!

For his 12th birthday, Sirius gifted Harry with the newest Nimbus 2001. Of course, Harry, the twins and Ron wanted to test it right away even if it was pouring outside… Hermione and Teddy decided that they wouldn’t impose themselves with this weather and ended up in the Black library for the end of the afternoon. Not much of a party in the end, if it was not for the twins’ and the Marauders' massive prank contest at the end of the day.

During the week of the full moon, Teddy had been coincidently at the Malfoy Manor while Harry was at the Burrow. Teddy hadn’t noticed what week it was until he was trying to find sleep in Draco’s room after telling each other horror stories. Neither Remus nor Sirius made any allusion to it when they came back and even if Teddy had been nervous about seeing his father in bad shape, the man was shining when he welcomed him back to Grimmauld Place.

Then, there had been the strangest ‘ _Black Reunion_ ’, and Teddy wouldn’t come back on the fact that he had actually cried upon seeing his grandmother being so well and healthy.

He had met his grandfather and his mother as well– not that he had told them who they were for him. His mother had seemed so young that she felt more like a big sister than his actual mother. Especially when she was making (literal) duck face at Harry and him.

Apparently, Sirius hadn’t told them that Teddy was a metamorphmagus too so when he imitated her, they all chocked on their tea. Nymphadora – or ‘Dora’ as Sirius and her father called her – had been ecstatic. She had never met another metamorphmagus before and asked him even more questions than average people.

At first, Teddy had been hesitant that they would ask about where his gift came from, but the subject wasn’t brought to the table, so he eventually relaxed.

Teddy needed to focus more to transform but was also more precise when he was doing it. Dora, on the other end, was showing her every emotion through the colour of her hair or her eyes. She was still so totally a teenager, even if she was training to become an Auror… And Teddy couldn’t fight his laugh when her hair had turned pitch pink upon meeting Remus seemingly for the first time. She turned shy and giggled stupidly every time the werewolf opened his mouth. Sirius noticed too and started teasing her and of course, Remus, like the perfect gentleman he was, defended the young girl and it didn’t help with Dora’s hair colour at all…

Narcissa and Draco joined them later that afternoon. Even if they had seemed uncomfortable at first, Andromeda made the first move by hugging her little sister and telling her that she had missed her. Sirius took it upon himself too. He didn’t tease or snap and after an hour or so, he was speaking almost naturally with his cousins about the old times and the games they played when they were children – before Hogwarts and the House rivalry, before the war, before everything. They promised themselves they wouldn’t reproduce their parents’ mistakes.

That day, Teddy had caught Kreacher crying. The elf hadn’t seen his first master’s family reunited for years. Upon Teddy’s advice, Sirius had offered Kreacher to move his mother’s portrait to the elf’s quarter and when the elf had tearfully agreed, the three cousins had combined their magic to move the bloody portrait somewhere it would stop insulting them and their loved ones.

In the evening, Teddy had knocked at Sirius’s bedroom door but didn’t wait for it to open. He just slipped the story of Regulus’s life by Kreacher under the door. Remus must have explained to Sirius the origin of the letter because, the next morning, the dog animagus didn’t even take the time to say good morning before giving Teddy the longest hug.

As a mark of respect, Sirius then asked Kreacher to start looking for his replacement for everyday chores as he was planning to ask him to only concentrate on the care of the Black shrines, family heirlooms and ancestral history – one of the most honourable position for a house elf in a Most Ancient and Noble Family.

 

Remus had stayed at Grimmauld Place for the whole summer in the end. Sirius seemed so much livelier when he was there that they had been no way that Harry and Teddy had been opposed to the idea when the two adults asked them if they would be okay with it.

The new TV room was finished and after several attempts and adjustments, the TV started working consistently around the third week of August. Sirius had surprised Teddy when he uncovered an NES to complete the VHS player and giant stereo speakers.

“You seemed so interested by it last time that I went back to the store…” the man admitted with a smirk.

In the end, they couldn’t count the number of hours they stayed shooting pixelized ducks with a stupid orange plastic gun on the TV. It was a great time filler when London weather wouldn’t clear up for days.

Harry and Teddy sat for hours in each other’s rooms at night, talking about their childhood and everything that they hadn’t taken time to talk about during the school year.

Harry told Teddy about his ability to speak to snakes and Teddy had explained to him what a parselmouth was and how it was seen in the Wizarding World – well, especially in the UK since Voldemort… The distraught of Harry upon learning all this was real, and he couldn’t hide it from Sirius and Remus during dinner that night.

In the end, Sirius told them that it wasn’t so surprising at all and that James had told him once that his great-grandfather was a parselmouth too – even if he didn’t get the gift himself nor had his father and grandfather. Remus took upon himself to search the Black library for books about the ability and Sirius told them he would check with the Goblins if they could get access to the Potter Manor soon – all Potter estates had been sealed until Harry was of age.

Harry had seemed relieved with this conversation and Teddy smirked sharply at him making the other boy grinning madly. They felt like family again.

 

Teddy and Harry also worked on their summer assignments together.

Upon Narcissa’s advice, they had been given wizarding culture courses and heir duty training. She gave them some of the courses herself and then gave Sirius the contact of Draco’s private tutor.

Of course, Sirius had asked the boys what they thought about it before doing anything. Harry had been interested in the Wizarding culture and etiquette classes but didn’t see the point of heir duties. On the other hand, Teddy was more advance on the Wizarding Culture part as he had been raised among wizards, but he wanted to make Sirius and Narcissa proud, so he wished to continue the heir duty training. In the end, they decided that Teddy would go to Malfoy Manor every Tuesday morning to share Draco’s own heir training session while Narcissa would come every Thursday afternoon to educate Harry about his magical heritage.

 

With all that, the month of August flew by and the 1st of September was already upon them. Teddy was eager to start a new year of school but sad of leaving behind Sirius and his father – Remus, he had to force himself to think about him as _Remus_ and not his father…

Harry and he had been thankful to discover that Gilderoy Lockhart’s bibliography wasn’t on their school list. They had been scared that Dumbledore had managed to convince this fraud of a professor to come back.

According to the rumour – aka Pansy via Draco, their new Defence Against the Dark Art teacher was coming directly from the States. Her name was Elizabeth Graves, she had been teaching at Ilvermony for ten years and was a renowned Master Duellist. Her grandfather, Percival Graves, had been Director of Magical Security and head of MACUSA's Department of Magical Law Enforcement until his murder by Grindelwald himself during the early 1900's…

Teddy had no idea how the Slytherin girl always managed to know everything before anyone, but it scared him a bit… Nevertheless, he couldn’t wait to meet this new teacher! He didn’t remember anything about her in his godfather’s stories, so it was a pretty big unknown…

 

They got to Kings Cross early because Remus didn’t like to be late – unlike Sirius. It left Harry and Teddy a good amount of time to say good-bye to their two guardians. Remus made them promise to write often and to study hard. On the other hand, Sirius expected them to enjoy their life and to be bold because time at Hogwarts with friends would always be too short. On a side note, he added that he wouldn’t mind if they got detention as long as the infraction was worth it.

“Padfoot! You can’t say that to two impressionable young boys!!” Remus scolded him immediately.

“As if we would have any right to judge them on that part after everything we did at their age…” Sirius scoffed.

“It doesn’t matter! You’re a parent now, you can’t say that anymore!”

Sirius grumbled something about being too young to be a dad and James promising him he could stay the cool uncle his whole life… Still, he complied to Remus’s rule. “Okay, pups, nothing too dangerous then! Be careful!” He leaned toward them and whispered. “And don’t get caught if you can!”

“I heard that…” Remus sighed dramatically.

Harry and Teddy chuckled at their antics as they did all summer long. They had already agreed to come back during Christmas holidays and Teddy knew he would miss the two men deeply. He gave them the longest hug when the train arrived. He wondered if it was how he would have felt if his godfather had been there to see him off the previous year.

Harry had spotted Hermione and Narcissa and Draco had joined them already, so Teddy knew it was time to leave… He gave one last hug to Remus.

Teddy had fought the urge to tell him the truth and that he was his father the whole summer. It was selfish and terribly unfair to his godfather, but as days passed by Teddy realized that he didn’t want to go back because. Deep down, he was terrified of losing Remus – or even Sirius – again after getting the two men so well. He couldn’t even imagine what his godfather had felt like when he actually lost them…

“Everything is going to be okay,” Remus whispered in his ear. “Be nice to your friends and if anything happens, you know how to contact us.” The man gifted Teddy with a tawny owl named Pidgey, a few days ago. Officially it was a reward for his good grades, but Teddy knew it was more than that. “Time will go off quickly, you’ll see.”

Teddy nodded at those words; his eyes were burning but he kicked back his tears.

“Let’s go before all the carriages are taken,” Draco was pulling Teddy’s sleeve to force him to move.

Teddy was comfortably settling with his friends, catching up with everything that happened and had stayed out of their weekly owls when they saw a bunch of red-haired slaloming between the weaving parents in the platform. Of course, they all laughed good-heartedly at the Weasleys jumping in the train at the very last minute but when the siblings came to them to say hello, something sour grew into Teddy’s throat.

She looked so young and innocent. Shy and uncomfortable behind all her brothers. Clearly worshipping Harry ‘ _The Boy-Who-Lived_ ’ Potter already. But there was no mistake. It was her… it was Ginny…

And Teddy suddenly felt like slamming the door in her face.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I didn't develop all that... I could if you ask me to but I have to go ahead with this story or it will never end! XD


	19. Second Year

The new school year settled in. Teddy was enjoying his classes and loved being back in the Castle. He wrote to Remus and Sirius twice a week, Remus always asked him questions about his lessons, so it was quite easy to find things to talk about. 

He mostly managed to forget about Ginny being in the Castle too… Well, except when he was with Harry and the 1st year Gryffindor seemed to follow them everywhere with one of her classmates, Colin Creevey. The boy was a muggle-born and he had somehow decided that he would immortalize every second of Harry’s life with his camera… it was annoying… 

Teddy remembered having seen some of those pictures growing up, his godfather might have told him about the young paparazzi once or twice, but not often and always with a touch of sadness in the voice… The boy probably died in the war; Teddy had concluded. 

Knowing that didn’t make it easier to bear with him on a daily basis though… And having his aunt’s eyes on him, judging him, every time the boy was there taking stupid pictures of his best friend, wasn’t helping. 

In the end, Teddy decided to distance himself from Harry. A bit at least. They still had the mirror, so they caught up at night anyway… He hoped Harry wouldn’t get too mad at him for it…

“Who do you despise the most, the mudblood or the she-weasel?”

Draco had – unsurprisingly – made it to the Slytherin Quidditch team so their time together had also been restricted. They were currently going over their History of Magic notes near the Black Lake. Harry, Ron and Hermione had just passed by on their way back from Hagrid’s, and Teddy hadn’t been able to stop a snort at seeing the two Gryffindor First Years following them a few meters behind. 

“I despise you when you use this kind of words…” Teddy growled, looking down at his notes and purposely ignoring his friend. 

“Come on, even I can see how annoying they are… They deserve it…”

Teddy didn’t comment. He wouldn’t just accept it. 

“Edward?” Draco called him. “Come on, you’re not really mad at me. You’re mad at them… for some reasons… Why? Are you jealous they could steal away your precious time alone with Potter?”

Teddy glared at his friend. It wasn’t funny and he felt hurt because it hit home. How many time Ginny had complained that he was keeping her husband from her too much? Once he had talked back, telling her that he was a kid and that he needed Harry more than she did… That maybe Harry would rather spend more time with him than with her… She had slapped him and cried… He had never told his godfather about it… He had just been too ashamed of making his Aunt cried…

Teddy didn’t even understand how Draco could be such a jerk to him. So, he just decided that it was enough, he got up, ready to leave. 

“Teddy! Wait!” Draco called after him, grabbing his wrist. “I’m sorry, okay? I shouldn’t have said that, I… Sorry…” When Teddy looked at him, the Slytherin had the decency to look genuinely apologetic. 

“It’s just that I’ve never seen you so angry at someone and I don’t understand what either of them had done to you… except being tremendously annoying, of course. But you’re a Hufflepuff, usually, annoyance doesn’t bother you that much… I’m mean you’re supposed to like everyone, but you hate them so much, you don’t even spend time with Potter anymore… because of them! And…”

“Maybe I just want to spend more time with you after spending my whole summer with Harry…” Teddy argued but Draco made a face that clearly indicated that he didn’t buy it. Teddy sighed. “It’s nothing… she just… reminds me of someone and I… well, I didn’t really like this person…”

“Who? The She-Wes-Weasley?” Draco corrected himself as soon as Teddy started glaring again. “Want to talk about it?”

“No,” Teddy said definitively.

Draco seemed ready to argue but knew probably better by now. It was the first time that he saw Teddy that upset so he guessed he shouldn’t push it. 

“Are you done your Potion essay yet? Do you want to go and work on it at the library?” the blond boy offered. 

“Okay.”

The matter wasn’t brought again by Draco and Teddy was thankful for that. He just didn’t know how to act with this child-version of Ginny. She would become so mean; how could he be sure that she wasn’t already like that but just hiding it??

 

Teddy needed something to stay busy and not think about Ginny too much… Luckily, he had the perfect project as it was never too early to work on Christmas presents for people you love! His head was full of ideas for his friends and Sirius and his grandparents and Mother and above all, for his dad. But he couldn’t make the later by himself. He wasn’t really sure it was a good idea either, but he couldn’t find anything else the man could really need and be happy from having…

So, one day, after his double-Potion he stayed behind in the classroom, despite the worried eyes of his classmates. 

“Have you become deaf and missed the bell, Mister Wolfe?” Snape snarled from his desk.

Teddy took it as a sign to come closer to the man.

“Professor Snape, last year you told me that I could come to you if I need help…” he started.

The Potion Master raised an eyebrow. “I thought that your living situation had improved since then…”

“It’s not about my living situation… It’s about a potion…”

Teddy stopped there, waiting to see if the man’s offer would still stand.

“I’m listening.”

“Could you teach me how to brew the Wolfsbane Potion?”

Snape paused and eyed at him.

“And why would you need to know how to brew the Wolfsbane potion, I wonder… Of course, after being adopted by that mutt you met that beast…”

“Remus is not a beast!!” Teddy exclaimed immediately. “He’s… great! I just wondered if you would help me, but if you can’t teach me, I’ll try and do it myself!”

“The Wolfsbane Potion is incredibly complex and cannot be mastered by a mere 12-year-old no matter how gifted he is in that particular subject… If you make any mistake you could kill the man instead of taming the wolf… Is that a risk you are willing to take?” Snape snarled and when Teddy paled drastically, he smirked. “Once again, far too much Lion behaviour for a young Hufflepuff Mister Wolfe… If you really want to convince me, you will have to work on that…”

Teddy looked down, guiltily. 

“I thought you would seek my help to go back to your… family, instead?”

Teddy shook his head. 

“My friends are here now… And I found a new family. I don’t need to go back…”

“Are you sure?”

Teddy only nodded. He wanted to be selfish. He had found the father he had never had the chance to know growing up… He would never give that up! And now, he just wanted to help his father and make his life easier…

Snape sighed dramatically. “We can start by improving your brewing skills through private lessons once a week as Headmaster Dumbledore seems eager to see me cultivate talents outside of my House and as I admitted last year, you have a good basis and had been taught well before arriving at Hogwarts… I can’t promise you to teach you the wolfsbane potion, however… you will have to earn that right by dedication and hard work. I won’t teach you until I am sure you can perfect that potion without endangering the person who will drink it…”

“Thank you, Professor Snape!” Teddy beamed at him.

“Don’t raise your hopes up. It could take months or rather years before you’re ready to brew such a complicated potion. It’s beyond NEWT level… In the meantime, I suggest that your… guardian’s friend… turns to professional Potion Masters… I’m sure Black’s fortune is indecent enough to pay for this… accommodation.”

“Would you brew it?” Teddy asked expectantly.

Snape only sneered further. “Leave my classroom before I change my mind Mister Wolfe,” he ordered without answering.

Teddy considered it was probably a ‘No’ then… But still, Teddy had now 2 hours of extra-classes with the Potion Master twice a week. Harry, Sirius and even Remus had been pretty dubious about this decision, but Teddy actually enjoyed it. It wasn’t like if Snape was the nicest ‘buddy’, but he was a good teacher and he knew what he was talking about. After a few weeks, Draco even asked if he could join them. He would miss some sessions because of his Quidditch practices though. So, most of the time, it was only Teddy and Snape…

 

At some point during October, Harry lashed out at Ginny and Colin Creevey in the Great Hall, telling them that he would not let them ruin his life so they would be very kind to back out immediately! Draco had sneered next to Teddy, calling Harry his drama queen hero. Teddy felt guilty for laughing. 

 

As the weeks passed by, the Gryffindor-Slytherin Quidditch match came closer and Teddy was faced with a choice… Which of his friends would he cheer for? Neither Harry nor Draco had tackled the subject so far. They were even carefully avoiding it.

The Weasley Twins didn’t have the same strategy and had been harassing Teddy about it for weeks already. 

“What are you going to do, Little Wolf?”

“Did you tell them they would be fighting for your heart?”

“That whoever catches the Snitch would remain your one and only best friend?”

“Oh! Good one George, we should tell Harry that to motivate him a little more… Wood clearly doesn’t put enough pressure on his shoulders…”

“Harry is crushed under Wood’s pressure; don’t you dare put any more on him!” Teddy scolded them. “And I don’t care who wins, they’re both my friends, I just want them to have a good game…”

The twins grinned. 

“Oh, but the Gryffindor/Slytherin derby is never a good game…” George said.

“It’s a war…” Fred confirmed. 

“Only one team should survive…”

“And you…”

“… can make or destroy our and their seeker…”

“What do you want?”

“What is your price??”

Teddy couldn’t help laughing. He would never understand why people were so passionate about Quidditch. For him, it was just a silly game. 

“I’m a Hufflepuff, bribery doesn’t work on me,” he told them. 

Nonetheless, they kept coming at him at every occasion until the day of the match. 

On that morning, Teddy really thought about simply not going to the game so he wouldn’t have to make a choice. However, his housemates seemed really engaged in convincing him to go and both Harry and Draco would probably be hurt if he didn’t show up… 

In front of the bathroom mirror, he thought about his options and concluded that he was fucked one way or the other… but did he really have to make a choice? 

He concentrated and forced half of his hair to turn red and gold, the other green and silver. The matching House Chests were painted on opposing cheeks. He grimaced… he definitely didn’t have Harry’s talent for drawing, but he guessed this would do. 

He hid all this preparation under his hood until he sat down on the central gallery and as soon as the whistle called the beginning of the game he yelled:

“GO GO DRARRY!!!!!!!!!!” 

He agitated a matching banner, all green and red and he suddenly felt as if all eyes were on him instead of the players. An unnatural silence grew around him.

“W-what?” Teddy asked his dormmates. 

“Who wins then?” Lee Jordan asked in the speaker. 

“No one, he said _Drarry_ … could be both…” Macmillan yelled next to Teddy. 

“He started with ‘ _Dra-_ ’, it means Slytherin first!!” someone Teddy didn’t know replied from the other side of the pitch. 

“It means nothing, he clearly didn’t choose a side!” someone else argued. 

“He has to choose!” a third person yelled, quickly followed by several noises of agreement. 

“Actually, he doesn’t,” Jordan said in the speaker. “Someone voted on “he’ll come and cheer for the ‘Drarry’” …”

“Who?!!!”

“1st year Ravenclaw – Luna Lovegood!”

The pitch erupted in almost chaos until Professor McGonagall’s voice echoed through the speaker. 

“What’s the meaning of this, Jordan?!”

“Nothing nothing… Miss Lovegood, please come and see me at the end of the game!” Jordan’s voice dismissed the professor. “Let’s go back to the game! The wonderful Angelina Johnson has the Quaffle…”

“What’s going on?” Teddy whispered to Susan Bones. 

“You just made a very lucky girl…” she only answered with a soft smile. 

Teddy looked at her without understanding what she was talking about. He would only learn hours later that the whole school had been betting on who he was going to cheer for. He didn’t know how what he should do with this knowledge. 

Anyway, Gryffindor won the game after Harry caught the snitch, but it had been a tight match between   
Draco and him. It had been a good game, and everyone was relatively cheerful at the end… well, almost everyone. 

Teddy joined his friends on the ground when the match ended. Draco was pouting while Harry was clearly beaming. They both looked exhausted and sweaty, but it didn’t stop Teddy from jumping at them and hugging them both at the same time. 

“That was awesome! The best game I’ve ever seen!!” 

Harry chuckled in his right ear while Draco hmphed in the left. 

“Come on, Draco. Admit it! You had fun!” Teddy insisted, letting them go. 

Draco sneered. He would never admit it. 

“Shake hands!” Teddy ordered. 

“What?!!” they both exclaimed. 

“Shake hands, it’s a common practice at the end of a fair game. It’s good sport.”

“Edward, I wouldn’t even shake Potter’s hand if I haven’t lost!” Draco complained. 

“I don’t care. You’re not stupid school rivals here, you’re athletes! You’re role models for younger generations!”

“What generation?! We’re only 2nd years!!” Harry whined. 

“Shake hands!” Teddy insisted. 

And, against their will, the Slytherin and Gryffindor seekers shook hands. 

“Good game, Potter…” Draco muttered. “You flew well.”

“You didn’t fly bad either, Malfoy…” Harry answered in the same tone. 

Creevey took a picture before anyone could stop him. This time Teddy asked him to make him a copy. However, that comment broke the charm of the moment, and his two best friends joined forces to make him pay for purposely humiliating them. 

“Teddy… what have you done…” Ron sighed sounding disgusted behind the Hufflepuff. 

Hermione, Pansy and Nott seemed to think in the same way. But Teddy didn’t care and managed to jump once more on his friends’ shoulders to hug them both. It was good to know they would never ask him to choose. 

Suddenly, the voice of Lee Jordan echoed again in the pitch. 

“Ah! Mrs Lovegood! A word on your indisputable victory?”

“Oh… yes…” a really young eerie voice answered. “You’re right Little Wolf, I think it’s the best pairing too…”

“What is this about again?!” Draco moaned in Teddy’s arm and the Hufflepuff chuckled, knowing that most of the time it was useless to try and understand his Ravenclaw Aunt. He made a mental note to go and introduce himself to the girl properly though…   
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Go go Drarry!!


	20. The Yule Ball

None of Teddy’s bedtime stories ever came truth after that… No Chamber of Secret, no crazy free House Elf, no dementor, no death penalty for a poor innocent hippogriff, no Death Eater attack or Death Mark during the Quidditch World Cup, no Professor Lupin either as Professor Graves was the first Defence of the Dark Art teacher to stay in this position for more than one year in almost half a century!

Teddy enjoyed his life with Harry and Sirius and Remus. Draco was still his best friend while Harry slowly turned into more of a brother over the years. They were now starting their 4th year and Dumbledore had announced the Triwizard Tournament during the Welcoming Feast and Teddy was a little stressed that Harry’s name might still be called out of the Goblet of Fire. But he could do nothing to prevent it except waiting for the 31st of October…

“Hey, brother!” Harry greeted him, slipping next to him on Hufflepuff bench at breakfast. “Just got a letter from Sirius, he wanted to know if you survived the big trauma…”

Teddy hmphed. Two days earlier, as they were getting ready to go back to Hogwarts, Teddy had come across Sirius and Remus… well… being clearly more than friends. And Teddy had been so shocked that now, Remus thought he was homophobic, and Sirius believed it was just one big joke and that he would be over it eventually.

However, Teddy couldn’t tell them that the problem wasn’t that Sirius was a man… but that Sirius wasn’t… well… his mother! He couldn’t tell them that because his origins were still his biggest secret and he hadn’t told a soul about it in three years!

“That’s not funny…” Teddy grumbled. “I’m not… It’s not because of that…”

“What then?” Harry asked.

“It’s just… I thought that Dora… Well, you noticed that she’s in love with Remus, right?”

“I do… but, honestly, she doesn’t stand a chance against Sirius! Remus and he have been together since Hogwarts!”

“They have?!!!”

“Yup… well, as far as Sirius told me yesterday at least… while you were freaking out… again!”

“I didn’t freak out…” Teddy hissed but Harry sent him a disbelieving look and Draco that just joined them for that last sentence too, even if he didn’t know what they were talking about. “Okay, I freaked out a bit but… but… It’s not like that! Okay?”

“Okay okay… Just, write to Remus, if you please… He’s freaking out just as much as you are. Hello there, Malfoy!” Harry finished, nodding to the Slytherin before heading back to Gryffindor table.

“Whatever you say, Potter,” Draco said back. “What was that about?” he then asked Teddy.

“Nothing… Just… home stuff. How have you been since yesterday?”

“Brilliant! Have you heard about the Triwizard Tournament? Who do you reckon will be Hogwarts’ Champion, Mister Seer?”

Teddy smirked. Over the years, Draco had decided to put his different slips about things he wasn’t supposed to know on hypothetic seer abilities. Teddy’s strange friendship with Luna Lovegood seemed to have confirmed that assumption in the Slytherin’s mind.

“I would bet on… Cedric Diggory!” Teddy smiled at him.

“Your seeker?! No way a Hufflepuff represents us! He’s not even a 7th year yet!”

“Well, he’ll be of age by Halloween, so it hardly matters, my dear little dragon~”

Draco sneered at the nickname he got from his mother and stole pancakes from Teddy’s plate as revenge. Soon, they were surrounded by friends and classes and essays… and everything felt great.

Teddy and Draco still had their weekly extra lessons with Snape. The Hufflepuff had slowly earned the Potion Master’s respect and was now even allowed to help and prepare ingredients for other classes. Snape had sent a letter to Teddy that summer stating that he _might_ have achieved sufficient experience to start and learn how to brew the Wolfsbane Potion during his 4th year.

When Hallowe’en finally came, Beauxbatons’s and Durmstrang’s students joined them and Teddy was pleased to realise that Fleur Weasley – or rather Delacour – was just as he remembered her. He had realised that he thought about the past/future less and less often as the years passed by. Now, he felt like his whole life had been around teenage Harry and Draco and all his friends and Sirius and his father.

During the Hallowe'en Feast, Teddy couldn’t even eat anything. After dessert, Dumbledore presided over the selection of the Champions. Viktor Krum, from Durmstrang, was selected first, followed by Fleur Delacour of Beauxbatons. The Goblet selected Cedric Diggory as the Hogwarts Champion and Teddy could feel Draco’s eyes on him, but he wasn’t ready to relax just yet.

All three Champions left the Great Hall to receive further instructions and Teddy waited. Dumbledore gave a final speech and Teddy waited again and… and it never came. Dumbledore went to the Champions and the Great Hall burst into chatters and Harry’s name was never called and Teddy finally released the breath he was holding.

 

Their school year was rhythmed by the Tournament. Krum excelled in the First task, but Fleur and Cedric were good challengers too. It felt great to see the whole school behind a Hufflepuff for once.

When the Yule Ball was announced, Teddy wondered if he should stay at Hogwarts or not… but Harry, Draco and all his other friends wanted to go so he guessed he didn’t really have the choice.

He settled to go with Luna quite easily upon seeing her a few days after deciding to go to the Ball.

“Hello, Luna!” Teddy greeted her in the hall. For once, the younger girls seemed to not miss part of her uniform.

During Teddy’s 2nd year – and Luna’s 1st year – the Hufflepuff quickly noticed that the younger girl was being bullied by her classmates. He had then decided to take her under his wing, escorting her to some of her classes and making sure that she didn’t eat alone in the Great Hall. The bullying quickly diminished but it tended to reappear at the beginning of every new semester.

“Oh, hello Little Wolfe! How are you today?”

“Fine, and you?”

“Really good. It’s great that the wrackspurts finally gave you a break… They seemed to still be bothering your friends though…”

“It seems so…” Teddy agreed thinking of the big deal everyone was making of the ball and their respective dates. “I was wondering, do you intend to stay at Hogwarts for the Holidays? I would love to take you to the Yule Ball…”

“Sure, Teddy, since your real date hasn’t arrived yet…” Luna smiled softly. “But what about the Nargles, I heard that they will be loads of mistletoes there…”

“Hum… good question…” Teddy agreed, knowing better than asking about Luna’s comment on a possible future date. “How about I made you a Butterbeer cork necklace and earrings while I wear matching Butterbeer cufflinks and tie clip myself?”

“Oh, that would be wonderful!” Luna smiled at him. “I would wear a sylvan dress with fresh flowers and forest leaf… Oh, it will do wonder with your costume! Oh! Would you mind do my hair?”

“I would love doing your hair, Luna,” Teddy confirmed.

“Oh! I’ll have to tell my Dad… He would want pictures…”

“I’m sure it can be arranged. But don’t let the wrackspurts get to you. You’ll be perfect no matter what you wear.”

Luna smiled at him. “Thank you, Little Wolfe. I promise I’ll be careful.”

“Perfect. Let me know if you want to go shopping at Hogsmeade together. Until then, have a nice day, Miss Lovegood,” he bowed and kissed her hand as a perfect pureblood heir.

Luna chuckled. “Thank you, Teddy. This will be so much interesting!”

Teddy smiled back as she walked away.

“What was that?” Draco asked behind him.

“ ’Just asked Luna to go to the Yule Ball with me…”

“What?! Why? Do you fancy her?”

“Err… No, she’s like a little sister for me!” Teddy shrugged.

“Then, shouldn’t you have stay available for someone you actually fancy? We still have time…”

“Don’t fancy anyone right now. So… No? I’d rather make a friend happy for what it’s worth…” Teddy looked at him and Draco sighed.

“Hufflepuff…” he slipped under his breath and Teddy decided to ignore him.

“And you? Anyone in mind that you fancy or want to ask to go with you?”

He had said that as a joke as he was pretty sure his friend didn’t seriously fancy anyone right now after hearing him fanboying over Krum for the past 4 months. He didn’t expect Draco to stay deadly silent, looking pointedly at the ground while blushing lightly.

“Are you serious?! Who?!!!”

“You’re rude, Edward,” Draco finally declared. “It’s not something to ask in the middle of the corridor. I’m not even sure I’ll ask them anyway…”

“Them?!!! As in more than one?!!!!”

“N… Shut up.”

And for the next few weeks, whenever Teddy asked Draco if he had talked with his mysterious crush(es?), the Slytherin would just ignore him.

Surprisingly, a few girls asked Teddy out – unknowing that he already had a date. Hannah was one of them and Teddy took a guilty pleasure in redirecting her to Neville. The girl had been doubtful, at first, but then Teddy arranged a secret meeting between the two of them in one of the greenhouses, while Neville was supposedly helping Mrs Sprout tending to Christmas Lilies for the party. It had been a success!

Teddy was expressing his surprise upon being so popular to his friends during dinner. Draco, Hermione and Harry looked at him as if he was joking while Ron seemed the only one to perfectly share his point of view.

“I don’t understand girls, mate… I mean, they always move in pack… even when they go to the bathroom! and only ugly ones asked Harry out!”

Teddy eyed his brother.

“They weren’t ugly, they just… well, none of them had ever spoken to me before asking me out. I didn’t even know their names… It was kind of strange and I think they just wanted a go with the ‘ _Boy-Who-Lived_ ’ anyway…” Harry explained shaking his head.

“As for your _sudden_ popularity Teddy,” Hermione said. “I don’t know why you’re so surprised… I know a few girls who would go on a date with you any day even without the Yule Ball as an excuse… I mean, you’re smart, kind, funny…”

“You’re the Heir of a Most Ancient and Noble Family…” Draco added.

“And quite good-looking too… I mean, I don’t understand how you stay so fit without Quidditch practice despite everything you eat!” Harry exclaimed. “I mean, seriously Teddy, you sure your m… I mean, your _gift_ as nothing to do with it?!”

“Are you saying that I use my ability to hide my physical flaws?!” Teddy said, pretending to be hurt.

“I just mean that I saw you naked and… I’m sure you’re a fucking cheat! There’s no way your… you look like that while I…” Harry’s cheek was a deep red at this point.

Teddy smirked. “Are you really currently trying to compare our size in the middle of the Great Hall, Har’?”

“Oh! Shut up! Tosser!” Harry snapped back at him.

“You started it! And stop being so worried Harry, I’m sure you’ll grow… eventually…”

“I’m not sure I’m supposed to hear this conversation,” Hermione sighed dramatically.

“I think I’ll get going…” Draco said grimly as to confirm her disgust. He actually got up and left before anyone could stop him.

“Does he have a date?” Harry asked softly to Teddy.

“Not that I know of… He told me he fancies someone, but he wasn’t sure to ask her to the Ball… for some reasons…”

He had expected Harry to tease him about Draco’s secret love interest, but, once again, Teddy’s friend surprised him as Harry stayed silent, longingly looking at the Great Hall door where Draco had just disappeared.

Meanwhile, Ron seemed to have noticed that Hermione was, in fact, a girl, and so she could go with Harry or him to the Ball for that mere reason… Hermione didn’t take it too well… It was a miracle no pumpkin juice had been split. Teddy wondered how the hell the two of them could ever end up together…

 

A few days later, Teddy was talking with Hermione about her date – who was supposed to stay a secret to Harry and Ron even though Teddy knew it was Krum – when the last person he would pick as a date in the school came and talked to him.

“Hi, Wolfe,” Ginny said tensely before nodding slightly to her fellow Gryffindor. “Hermione.”

“Oh, hello Ginny! Well, I’ll leave you two be then!” Hermione declared with a big smile on her face.

“Wait?!! What????” Teddy exclaimed hurtfully upon being insensitively ditched by his friend.

“It’s okay, Wolfe. I’ve asked her to… well, I thought you would like to speak to me alone…” Ginny said, blushing slightly as she looked down. Was that supposed to be cute?!

“Why would you think that?!” Teddy said defensively.

“Well, I thought… I mean, with the Yule Ball coming closer, you might find some Gryffindor courage in you to ask me out properly…”

Teddy’s blood ran cold in his vein. “May I remind you that I’m in Hufflepuff, not Gryffindor. And why the hell would I ask _you_ out?!”

“Ron always say that you spend so much time with Gryffindors that you could be one… And please, everyone knows that you have had a crush on me since my 1st year and that’s why you’re so jealous when I’m around Harry!”

“I’m not… That’s complete garbage! I’m not interested in you! I h…” Teddy stopped himself before he had to explain to this girl why he hated her so much. “Never mind… You’ve got it wrong. I don’t want to go to the Yule Ball with you as I have absolutely no interest in you. I already have a date anyway.”

“You can’t possibly go with Loony Lovegood!!!” Ginny snorted.

“Don’t call her that. And yes, I’ll go with Luna because she’s my friend and actually knows and cares about me.”

“She’s a lunatic!”

“She’s not. But you’re a stalker and a bully. You should stop fantasizing about your brothers’ friends and start getting yourself your own life!”

And with that, Teddy left without even looking back. The girl was insufferable even when he tried to dissociate her from her future-self.

 

In the end, Draco went to the Ball with Pansy Parkinson – as friends – and Harry and Ron got a double-date with the Patil twins. Ginny didn’t get to go to the Ball as she wasn’t a 4th year and didn’t have a date.

They all had a pretty good night… Well, until Ron and Hermione fought so hard that she left crying… And Teddy decided to launch Harry after her just so he would just stop glaring at Draco… because by the way the Slytherin also keep glaring back at him it could only end up with some stupid duel challenge and Teddy wouldn’t let his two best friends kill each other for no reason!

Yes, really… a good night full of wrackspurts and nargles, or at least, it was how Luna last toast with him went.  
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! 
> 
> Yup, a time jump... sorry about that but if you want some Drarry, I needed to speed up the pace a bit. 
> 
> Big awesome news! I finished writing this fic last weekend. It would be officially 31 chapters long... So... 11 chapters left? Well, actually, 10 chapters left and a long epilogue... Which means, for you, that you don't have to ever worry about reading the end of this fic, it's definitely coming!
> 
> I'm currently working on a spin-off in the same universe which would mainly follow the same events as in the main fic but with Draco's POV. The emphasis would be put on the 4th year and after... so basically, anything that would happen in this fic starting now but with Draco POV...  
> I'll start publishing the spin-off after I finish publishing this fic I think... but I might change my mind... 
> 
> Until then... I hope you enjoyed this chapter!!!!


	21. Spare time

When school resumed after the Christmas Holidays, Snape told Teddy to work on NEWT level potions with his very own old textbook. He had improved most of the recipes in it and asked Teddy to study those changes and write an essay about them.

He was working on it and bugging a little about the mentioning of an ‘ _Half-Blood Prince_ ’ and the signature ‘ _HBP_ ’ on some parts of the book when Draco came crashing in the chair next to his in the library.

“May I help you?” Teddy asked overly polite to his clearly annoyed friend.

Draco snarled.

“Very well put,” the Hufflepuff confirmed with a smirk while going back to his book.

“Is Potter crushing on Diggory’s girlfriend or something?” Draco sighed dramatically.

“Urgh… not that I know of…”

“He asked her to be his date for the Yule Ball…” the Slytherin said.

“Yeah, and she obviously said ‘no’ as she went with Cedric… But that was like one month ago… Why is this relevant now?”

“I just heard about it…”

Teddy looked at his friend who seemed genuinely bothered by that. Teddy really didn’t see why.

“Do you have a crush on Cho Chang?” he asked.

Draco stared at him, insulted. Well, it seemed that she was off the list then.

“What are you working on?” Draco asked him to change the subject.

“Snape asked me to work on his NEWT potions notes… Do you know why he used to call himself the ‘ _Half-Blood Prince_ ’?”

Draco seemed to think about it a few seconds before answering. “Well, his mother was part of the Prince family and well… his father was a muggle so, half-blood?”

Teddy raised an eyebrow. It seemed so simple, put like this. His finger underlined the initials ‘ _H.B.P_ ’ one last time. Yes, it made sense.

“Speaking of Snape’s studies… I read your muggle book on muggle medical discoveries of the last century… Do you know if anyone ever tried to combine them with magical healing techniques? I mean, what would happen if you inject a potion directly into one's blood system instead of ingesting it?”

“I don’t know… we could ask Snape or Pomfrey, maybe they know… Did your mother say something about your internship at St Mungo’s?”

“She said that I could apply after my O.W.L.s, so not this summer but the next…” Draco sighed.

“I don’t think they would take in someone below O.W.L. level anyway.”

Draco nodded before sighing again. “I’m so bored. I get why they needed to cancel the House Cup and all because of the Tournament but seriously, what are we supposed to do we all this free time?!!”

Teddy chuckled. So that was the real issue. “Aren’t Slytherins supposed to jump on the opportunity to have international students around and be networking as if their lives depend on it this year?”

“Karkaroff is about to piss himself every time he sees me with a Durmstrang student… I don’t know if it’s because he hates my father or because he is afraid that my mother could rot him if she wants to…”

Teddy looked at his friend who was carefully examining his own nails. His father was kind of a taboo subject, so he was surprised Draco even mentioned it.

“Snape told me that I could help him and prepare some potions for the Hospital Wing if I want to. Do you want to tag along?” Teddy offered.

He got a relieved smile in exchange. Well, at least he could do something so his friend would not bore himself to death.

 

A few days later, Teddy was working with Hermione in the library and she asked him if he knew if she could get a summer internship at the Ministry of Magic. As for Draco, her age might be an issue for next summer applications, but he directed her to Percy Weasley who probably could tell her more about the process to get there.

“Thank you, Teddy,” she smiled at him. “Do you know that Neville and Hannah are still going on? I heard they went on a date in Hogsmeade last weekend…”

Teddy smiled at that. “I heard too. It’s great.”

Hermione nodded. “Yes, it’s like Neville is a new guy. Hannah clearly managed to put some confidence in the man!”

“Man? Really?” Teddy chuckled, more used to hear Hermione referring to them as ‘ _boys_ ’.

“Well… we certainly aren’t kids anymore… I mean…”

She was blushing by now and Teddy frowned a little.

“Did Krum do something with you?”

Hermione turned redder. “N-no… I mean… We kissed but… I told him I wasn’t ready for… I mean… He listened, he stopped… He’s a good guy.”

“Okay… Well, as long as he respects your wishes too… But if that ever changes, or if you ever feel like you have to give in because he’s pressuring you or something, you come and tell me, okay?”

The Gryffindor girl smiled kindly at him. “You don’t need to worry. He’s fine, but I promise I’ll come to you if… if I need to. I mean, it’s not as if Ron or Harry understand any of it! They’re so insufferable lately…”

“Ron hasn’t apologized yet?” Teddy inquired.

“He did,” Hermione sighed. “But I could clearly see that he didn’t know what he did wrong so… I didn’t accept it…”

“I see…” Teddy said grinning. He knew how stubborn Hermione could be sometimes, but he also knew that his friends were going to be okay. “What about Harry? What did he do?”

Hermione eyed him but didn’t answer directly. “You… you spend loads of time with Draco lately…”

“Yeah, like always. He’s my best friend. Why? Is Harry back at being jealous of him?” Teddy joked.

“Is he still just your best friend though? Harry had been ranting for a week about how you two spend all your time alone and far too close to each other on some abandoned classroom in the dungeons…” Hermione said.

“Yeah, Draco helps me with some personal studies…” Teddy started answering before understanding the innuendo. “Wait! There’s no subtext there. We actually just brew potions for the Hospital wings … I mean… I obviously love him as he has been my best friend for 4 years but not like that! Not ever like that! Eww!”

Hermione chuckled at his disgusted face.

“Is Harry stalking on me on the Marauders’ Map now?” Teddy asked.

“Oh… I’m not sure you were the one he was stalking if you ask me… But honestly, I think he has far too much spare time on his hands for his own good… He keeps complaining about the absence of Quidditch practice even though, every other year, he had always complained about having too much Quidditch practice…”

Teddy smiled at her. “I heard that before…” He shook his head. He would need to think of something to keep his friends busy before they started acting like utter idiots…

 

Teddy needed a few days to come up with a plan, get the appropriate authorizations and prepared everything he would be needing. On the first Saturday of February, he told Draco and Harry to meet him with their brooms at 7 a.m. in the Quidditch Pitch. Both boys seemed surprised to see the other when they finally met up.

“Good, you’re not late!” Teddy exclaimed upon seeing them. It was still dark and freaking cold out there. He wouldn’t have waited long if his friends hadn’t shown up.

“What’s the meaning of this Edward?” Draco asked.

Teddy shrugged and told them to follow him in the Hufflepuff Team Changing Room. It was warmer there and he finally managed to stop shivering.

“I've got a surprise for the two of you,” Teddy explained smiling at his friends. “See, I think you both have far too much spare time since Quidditch had been cancelled this year and I’m kind of sick of having you both using this free time to be on my back like all the time!” He sighed dramatically and eyed at his friends. Harry looked kind of guilty and ready to apologize while Draco seemed completely unimpressed. Teddy smiled at Harry to let him know that he wasn’t really mad at him and glared at Draco who could at least pretend to be sorry. “So, I’ve been thinking and asking around…” he resumed his speech. “And I got both of you the permission to use the pitch on Tuesday and Thursday evening and all-day Saturday,” he smirked and gave a parchment to each of them. “You will find here the Hungarian team practice routine gently provided by none other than Viktor Krum… It had been arranged to fit your school schedule, but I think it would be a great basis to work on.” The Slytherin and the Gryffindor seekers looked astonished. “There are some conditions though…” Teddy continued. “First, for security reason, you aren’t allowed to train alone so it’s either the two of you together or you found someone else to watch you while you train… Just for the record, I love you both deeply, but I won’t ever push myself into this weather at this unholy hour for you ever again!”

Harry nodded.

“What else?” Draco asked.

“Well, you will have to share the Hufflepuff Changing Room since neither of your Heads of House would allow the other in theirs, and Hooch refused to open two changing rooms for you… There’s a box full of training snitches back there, and you will have to ask her if you want to use official cleared ones. Krum might join you if he has time which probably wouldn’t happen before after the Second Task…And… That’s all, I think…”

Just as he said that, Teddy found himself in a crushing hug from Harry.

“Thanks, Ted! It’s awesome!” He mumbled into his ear.

“Oh, don’t thank me yet… I went through the routines and Krum seemed to wake up at 5 a.m. to jog… and I saw him swimming in the Black Lake lately…” Teddy grimaced.

“That’s why he’s the best!” Draco nodded while reading the routine in detail.

Teddy sighed. He really didn’t understand Quidditch maniacs like them but at least his friends seemed happy about it.

 

A few days later, Teddy learned that Harry had tried to convince Ron into joining them but that the Weasley had refused as soon as he had read the content of their routine. Draco hadn’t asked anyone as far as he knew and seemed okay to train with Harry.

Teddy had now more free time for his studies for Snape. He was certain that Snape was the mysterious person that had wrote to him back in First Year and wondered if the man knew the complete truth or just had a wild guess…

Teddy had decided not to tackle that issue for now as he enjoyed working with the man and was just starting to work on the actual Wolfsbane Potion. Reading Snape’s notes of his NEWT book gave him the ambition to not only learn how to brew the potion but to improve it and make it more accessible to werewolves around the world – or at least, in the UK.

 

When the Second Task came around, Teddy was in the stands above the Black Lake with his friends. It was quite boring, really, as they couldn’t see anything of what was going on underwater. Harry was kind of worried because Hermione was missing but Teddy assured him that she was okay. Draco had given him a sideway look and asked him if it was one of his many prophecies in the making. Teddy just made a face at him before looking back at the Lake with a smirk on his lips.

“Oh, I’m surprised Little Wolfe. Did you hide your swimming suit under your clothes?” Luna asked next to him with her usual dreamy voice.

“I have not, Luna… Why, should I have?”

She shrugged and went back at looking at the surface at the Lake. Harry and Draco were staring at her as if she had grown a second head and then stared at Teddy who just shrugged too.

Fleur reappeared first, wounded. She was freaking out in French about not being able to save her baby sister. Then Cedric surfaced with Cho Chang, and Krum with his shark head and Hermione a few minutes later. Everyone cheered as the clock indicated that the time for the task was over.

Something was strange though. What about Fleur’s sister? In the original timeline, Harry had saved her if anything Teddy’s godfather had told him was truth… But because of him, his godfather didn’t participate in the Triwizard Tournament this time…

“Et ma soeur????” Fleur yelled in French a few seconds later. The ministry officials tried to explain that she would appear any minutes from now, but the doubt could be clearly read from their faces. Hadn’t they considered the possibility of a Champion failing to save their hostage?!!!

As the adults started arguing between themselves about what they should do, Teddy couldn’t stay put and ran to the edge of the platform. He heard his friends calling after him, but he didn’t have time for that. He jumped, changing himself into an orca before touching the freezing water.

He spotted the blond girl quite easily and severed her bonds with his teeth. The charm on the girl was already fading and she started trashing from the lack of oxygen. He grabbed her robe and swam as fast as he could to the surface. When he jumped out of the lake, the girl took a deep breath and almost suffocated when he fell back into the water. He quickly dragged her to the platform and Fleur immediately rescued her, wrapping her into a warm towel.

Teddy turned back into human and instantly regretted it as the freezing water attacked him to his bones. Luckily, his friends were at the edge of the platform too and grabbed him out of the water. Another towel was wrapped around him.

Teddy had only time to take one breath before a mop of raven black hairs and another of silky blond ones attacked him.

“What were you bloody thinking?!!”

“You’re supposed to be a Hufflepuff, not a stupid Gryffindor!!!”

“Are you fucking mad or what?!!”

“Tell me it’s not the Black madness speaking, because I…”

Teddy stopped listening at that point and started chuckling before openly laughed.

“Guys?” he said. “I’m okay. I knew I would survive… Luna was right, I should have thought about warming bathing suits though… Anyway! Sorry for scaring you… I promise I’ll give you a head-up next time,” He smiled at them. Draco was looking at him as if he had turned mad and Harry looked like he had seen Death.

“There will be no next time, you asshole!” Draco snapped at him.

“I agree! You won’t do anything like that ever again!” Harry confirmed before taking him into a tight hug.

“Move Potter, I want some of him too…” Draco growled behind him and Teddy felt Harry chuckling before being transferred to the Slytherin’s arms.  
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! As I told you last time, I've finished writing this fic. I'm now wondering if I should change my posting schedule to once a week to twice a week...  
> Soo... since I'm so very weak... stay tuned because you might get another chapter on Monday next week! 
> 
> Anyway, what do you think about this chapter?


	22. Achievements

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW: Minor character's death on screen... JKR didn't put any TW, is that really necessary?  
> Enjoy~

 

 

 

“What the hell were you thinking?!!”

“This is it, Sirius. You won’t take them to the movie theatre ever again!!”

“What?!! It’s not my fault if _Free Willy_ had such an impact on the kid!! I mean, Harry clearly survived it!”

“We’re not talking about Harry here! Your ward decided to turn into an orca and jumped into the Black Lake in the middle of February!”

Teddy glared at Harry while the two adults were fretting around his hospital bed. It was his friend’s fault for snitching on him through his two-way mirror as soon as Dumbledore had decided that all the participants – Champions, hostages and unexpected saviour – of the Second Task should go to the Hospital Wing to be sure they weren’t suffering from hypothermia or any other infection from their fights under water… 

“Oh! Don’t play that card with me, Remus! You’re his guardian as much as I am! If I’m responsible, you’re responsible too!” Sirius snapped before finally moving his attention back the silent boy in the bed. “What were you thinking?! Why the hell did you act like a stupid Gryffindor?!!” 

Teddy scoffed and looked away. “… You’re Gryffindors…” he muttered under his breath.

“Yeah! And we did some pretty stupid stuff when we were your age, but you're a Hufflepuff, you're supposed to know better…” Remus sighed sliding on the chair next to his bed. 

“Seriously, I would have thought that Harry would have been the one with a saviour complex…” Sirius shook his head. 

“Hey!” Harry protested behind him. 

“Sorry, pup!” Sirius grinned at him. 

Teddy chuckled slightly until a soft hand stroke his hair. 

“Are you really okay?” Remus asked more calmly but still a little bit worried. 

“Yes, don’t worry. I couldn’t feel the cold when I was an orca anyway…”

Teddy smiled kindly at his father. He realised he had missed the guy when Remus smiled back and took him into a tight hug. Maybe going home for a few days during the Christmas holidays would have been a sensible thing to do… He would have to ask Harry if he wanted to go home for Easter break…

Remus let Teddy go when they heard someone delicately clear their throat behind him. 

“Excuse me, your name is Wolfe, right?” Fleur asked softly. “Sorry to interrupt you, my sister wants to tell you something… Gaby, viens,” she called her little sister who was hiding behind her. 

The girl came shyly closer. She was cute but looked no older than a 1st year. Teddy might have seen her once or twice for Victoire’s birthday during his time, but he didn’t remember much about her. 

“M…Tsank you…” she muttered without looking Teddy in the eyes. 

Teddy smiled slyly, she reminded him of Victoire when she was talking to someone she didn’t know. 

“De rien,” he answered, grimacing on how weird his French sounded after four years without speaking it. 

“Tu parles français?!” the young girl exclaimed looking up with sparkles in the eyes. 

“Just un petit peu…” Teddy said. She really looked like Victoire right there… it was probably to be expected as she was her aunt after all… “J’avais un amie qui était française, elle et sa mère m’a appris…”

“M’ont appris !” the young girl corrected him before being scolded by her sister for being rude. “Mais toi tu me reprends tout le temps !” she complained. 

"Ce n’est pas la même chose !”

Teddy laughed softly. Yes, it was exactly like seeing Victoire with her mother. 

Remus sent him a quizzingly look, but he shook it off. “Just remind me of my childhood best friend,” he explained. But saying it aloud made him feel sad suddenly. He guessed he missed her a bit. He wondered how she was doing… Did she start Hogwarts? Or did she eventually decide to go to Beauxbatons instead? 

A soft stroke on his hair brought him back to earth. Remus and Sirius were giving him sad knowing smiles. Harry seemed worried too and Draco kind of upset next to him. Thus, Teddy forced a smile on his lips. He hadn’t thought back about his past in a long time, but he didn’t need to. Everything he needed was in this timeline too!

 

Gabrielle Delacour stayed a few more days before going back to France.

The girl was gifted in Charm, as most of her peers, and had a decent grasp of Arithmancy. She was a total beginner in Potions though, as she hadn’t studied the subject in class yet. Apparently, Potions was an elective at Beauxbatons, and as Gabrielle was only 12, she wouldn’t be able to take it until the next school year. She was definitely interested though and asked Teddy to teach her. Fleur immediately apologized in her behalf, stated that Teddy didn’t have to and probably had better things to do than to look after a petulant child. Nonetheless, Teddy liked teaching and he loved freshening up his French a little bit so Gabrielle – or Gaby as she insisted, he called her – spent a lot of time with him in the end. 

Draco and Hermione also knew some French as they often spent their holidays there with their respective parents. So, they often came to tag along a bit. 

When Easter Holidays came, the girl’s parents came to get her back to France. She made Teddy promise to keep in touch and kissed him on the cheek before taking the International Portkey. 

 

Life was going great for Teddy. 

Harry didn’t want to go home for the break as he was totally involved with his Quidditch Training with Draco. Teddy was glad his two best friends worked together so well. He could feel that they were growing closer when they joined them for breakfast after a one-hour run around the Castle. 

Snape also finally taught him the Wolfsbane Potion and he finished his very first batch during the first week of the break. The Potion Master examined it for the longest time before agreeing that it was good enough to be used without risk.

Teddy had immediately owled Remus that he wanted to spend a day with him in Hogsmeade. He had been fritting the whole day while going shopping at Scrivenshaft's Quill Shop and Tomes and Scrolls. Remus had stayed patient and a bit amused until they settled down in the Three Broomsticks for dinner. 

They ordered and the older man gave the teenager a long look. 

“So, what is it, really? Spill it off!” he said jokingly. 

Teddy smiled back and took the sealed vial from his robe. Remus took it cautiously, slowly recognizing the potion in it. 

“I brewed it myself!” Teddy announced proudly. “Snape said it’s safe. I can finally brew it on my own from now on!!”

“Are you saying that… Is that why you put so much effort in your Potion studies those past few years?” Remus asked slowly. 

Teddy nodded. “I think I can improve the potion… I wonder if mistletoe beans could be crushed like Sopophorous beans, it would certainly make the potion sweeter and less disgusting to drink… but it might reduce the numbing effect… I need to study it a bit more first… ah, it’s the regular version still! I would never give you something experimental without telling you first!”

Teddy was so lost in his potion ranting that he didn’t notice that Remus had got up and around the table to give him the longest hug of his life. 

“Thank you, son…” Remus mumbled against his ear, knowing how he always melts under this endearment term. “You didn’t need to do that…”

“I wanted to,” Teddy said back. “You’ll see. I’ll make it better and more affordable and then werewolves wouldn’t be needing to isolate themselves from the world…”

Remus chuckled slightly and wiped a lonely tear as he moved back. “I’m sure you will but slow down a bit. You’re just a kid, for now. Enjoy it a bit while you can too, okay? I don’t want you to bury yourself in a study that could wait a few years.”

“But I love potions!” Teddy said. 

“Okay! Okay! But what you did here is already impressive! I mean, you’re only 14 and most Potion Masters haven’t mastered the wolfsbane potion yet! That’s why it’s so expensive too…”

“I’m almost 15 and your friends were the same age when they turned into animagi for you… That’s impressive too!”

Remus laughed loudly. “It was indeed! But it’s not a competition!”

“Of course, it is!” Teddy smirked teasingly. “And now the expectations for Harry are even higher! His bad for not making his move earlier if you ask me…”

Remus continued laughing. “I forbid you to put pressure on him for it! As I was saying, this is not a competition! I love you both equally!”

Teddy kept on smirking until Remus stroked his hair in the same holly mess as Harry’s. But Teddy couldn’t stop grinning. He was so proud. He could see how proud his father was too and it was like the biggest moment in his life. 

“Prat…” Remus whispered fondly. 

“And here’s the order for Lupins’, father and son!” Madam Rosmerta announced loudly while putting their plates on the table. 

They both blushed slightly while straightening up a bit in their seats.

“Oh… we’re not…” Remus started correcting her, but Teddy stopped him by putting a hand on the man’s arm. 

They had a silent exchange. And then Remus smiled softly. “You know what? It doesn’t matter, thank you, Rose.”

The bartender nodded and let them eat in awkward silence.

“Teddy,” Remus asked finally. “Can we talk about… Sirius and me? I mean, I know you told me in your letters that you are okay with it but… if it’s bothering you, you can tell me, you know…”

“It’s not bothering me,” Teddy said firmly. “I’m sorry I reacted like that, I just… Well, I was kind of rooting for Dora, to be honest…”

Remus almost choked on his beans. “You can’t be serious! She’s just a kid!”

“She’s 22… You’re not that older!” Teddy defended before getting over it. “It doesn’t matter anyway… I was just being stupid because it’s quite obvious how much you and Sirius love each other. It makes much more sense,” he nodded to himself. “Harry told me you have been together since Hogwarts?”

“Yeah… We kind of started it during our 6th year, but we broke up after it… The war had been hard on us… and then we lost James and Lily and he went to Azkaban… When Peter was found and I understood that he had been playing us all along, I… I don’t even know how Sirius could forgive me for doubting him! I feel so lucky that he accepted me back. Moony is relieved too.” He smiled kindly, certainly remembering some memories of Sirius. 

“When did it happen?” Teddy asked. “I mean, when did you go back together?”

“Hum… around the end of your second year? We weren’t planning on hiding it from you or Harry… we just didn’t know how to tell you… It was still kind of new and we weren’t sure it would really work so we just kept it quiet, I think?”

“But you’re sure now? You’re happy?”

Remus looked at him straight in the eyes and smiled brightly. “Yes, I’m happy.” 

And that was enough for Teddy. 

“I love him, and I love the two of you as if you were my wards too…” Remus added with a soft smile. 

“You’re definitely as much our guardian as Sirius is,” Teddy said resolutely before going back to his plate.

 

The end of the year came around sooner than they expected. Teddy got a few letters from Gaby and answered them with the best written French he could manage. Harry and Draco kept the Quidditch practice and was joined by the three Champions most mornings. Hermione had made them a revision schedule for their final exams. Ron complained about it at every occasion and Luna told him that he would still have to live with his wrackspurts for a few more years, which made him explode one morning of June. 

Before they knew it, they were all seating in the Quidditch pitch, watching Cedric, Fleur and Viktor launching themselves in an amazing maze full of dangerous creatures…

Teddy tried to concentrate on what was going on, but he noticed how Harry and Draco wouldn’t stop exchanging silent glances sometimes ending up on him. He sighed. 

“Did you fight with Draco about me again?” he whispered to Harry who was sitting next to him. 

Harry startled guiltily. “What?!! No! It’s…”

“Come on, Har’, I’m not blind. You’ve been avoiding him for the past two days and I can feel him looking at me right now…”

Harry looked in Draco’s direction who was sitting a few rows behind them and blushed slightly. 

“What happened?” Teddy asked without taking his eyes out of the maze. 

“I… It’s… nothing…” Harry mumbled defeatedly. “Sorry, Ted… Maybe we could talk about it at home? It’s kind of a long story…”

Teddy looked at his best friend sideways. Harry seemed lost. 

“Okay,” he agreed with a soft smile and Harry leaned slightly on him to thank him. 

Cedric was now fighting an acromantula near the centre of the maze, while Fleur was busy with a sphinx and Krum blasting a Blast-Ended Skrewt… Then Fleur encountered a boggart who took the form of the dead drowned body of her sister and Teddy closed his eyes at the scene. 

“Edward? Can I talk to you?” Draco asked next to him. 

Teddy looked at him, ignoring the way Harry had tensed next to him. 

“Yeah?”

“I’m gay,” the Slytherin said.

“Okay…”

“And just so you know, it wasn’t a ‘ _them_ ’ as in ‘ _more than one_ ’, but rather as in ‘not a _her_ ’. See you later.”

“O-kay…” Teddy repeated, looking astonished as his friend was going back to his seat. 

He was about to ask Harry what that was about when the pitch burst into cheers. Teddy immediately jolted back to the maze. Cedric was no longer in the centre but had been portkeyed to the entrance, holding the cup in one hand, the other was holding his side. 

He didn’t seem well… 

Just as Teddy thought that and before Ludo Bagman and the other judges managed to get to him, Cedric collapsed on the ground. A loud gasp resonated in the pitch as his body quickly turned grey, then someone screamed. Teddy saw it was Cho Chang. Madam Pomfrey and the mediwizards rushed to him, but from the way they shook their heads not ten seconds later, it was too late. 

Cedric was dead.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey!!!  
> For plot purposes, Gabrielle Delacour is aged up a bit compared to the book canon. Let's just say I followed the movie canon on that part, yeah? What plot purposes you ask? Well... that's another story... XD  
> Yup, something definitely happened between Harry and Draco! XD 
> 
> Oh, quick question: Do you need me to translate the French parts? Just tell me in the comments! Oh, you know what? I'll just translate it already...  
> Gaby - "Tsank you"  
> Teddy - “De rien,” --> "You're welcomed"  
> Gaby - " Tu parles français?!" --> "You speak French?!!"  
> Teddy - "Just un petit peu" --> "Just a little bit", Teddy made a mistake and said "Just" in English instead of "Juste" with the correct French pronunciation.  
> “J’avais un amie qui était française, elle et sa mère m’a appris…” --> "I had a friend who was French. She and her mother has taught me" Teddy made a grammar error there with the verb "apprendre" (teach) conjugated singular instead of plural.  
> Gaby - “M’ont appris !” --> "Have Taught me" she corrected Teddy's grammar there (as French people always do even between themselves - I know, I'm French! That's what we do! XD). Fleur scolded her because it's so rude for non-French people. “Mais toi tu me reprends tout le temps !” --> "But _you_ always correct me!"  
> Fleur - "Ce n’est pas la même chose !” --> "It's not the same!"
> 
> And I think that's all for the French in that part! Don't worry, I will stick to English for the rest of this ff! 
> 
> Feedback, please???


	23. Stressed out

The ground was cold, dusty and a bit damp in the dungeons. 

Teddy didn’t really know what he was doing there or even how he got there. 

He remembered Cedric’s body lying on the ground, the chaos in the pitch, Harry trying to tell him something, to make him react. But he couldn’t. He didn’t even register what Harry was saying. The only thought in his mind was that Cedric died the exact same day, maybe the exact same hour as in his godfather’s timeline. Everything that Teddy had done had been for nothing. He couldn’t stop death…

“What are you doing here, Wolfe?” Snape’s voice snarled above him. 

“… he died…” Teddy muttered. “He still died… What if I can’t save them… what if you still all die too…?”

Snape sighed loudly and grabbed his arm, shoving him back to his feet and pulled him in his office before sitting him in an actual chair. He went to snatch some potions and gave two vials to him. Teddy vaguely recognized a pepper-up potion and a calming draught before drinking them. 

“Now, try again with an articulated sentence,” Snape said. 

Teddy nodded. “Cedric died,” he repeated slowly. 

“Yes. He had been bitten by the arcromantula he was fighting just before grabbing the cup. There was nothing the mediwizards could have done…”

“No. He shouldn’t have died. Pettigrew is in Azkaban and Voldemort is gone… He should have been safe.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The cup was a portkey. It took them to the graveyard and Pettigrew killed Cedric under Voldemort’s order! But it makes no sense! Voldemort is dead this time! Everyone should be safe, but they aren’t! What if death only is unalterable?! What if they still all die despite everything I’ve done????”

Snape stayed silent for a few minutes. “You changed the future?” he asked slowly. 

Teddy nodded.

“And some things didn’t change. With the changes you made, you thought Diggory should have survived the Tournament?” 

Teddy nodded again. 

“Maybe you didn’t change it enough… The Dark Lord isn’t completely gone…”

“What?! But you destroyed the Horcruxes with Dumbledore! The curse on the DADA position is gone!!”

“The wraith of the Dark Lord is weak and under control, but it’s not completely gone. Professor Dumbledore suspects that there’s at least one Horcrux left…”

Teddy pinched his lips and looked away. No, he couldn’t sacrifice Harry…

“You know where and what it is, don’t you?” Snape guessed. 

“I won’t tell you! I won’t let you kill him!”

“ _Him_?!!”

Teddy felt like crying. If he told Snape, they might kill Harry. But if he said nothing, and people kept dying at the same date as they did last time… Remus and Sirius would die. Dumbledore will die too, and Snape… Even Fred! But Harry… Harry was more important, wasn’t he?

“The Dark Lord put his soul in another man?” Snape deduced by himself. 

“Please don’t kill him…” Teddy sobbed. 

“I could try not too… I need to do some research. It might be possible to destroy the Horcrux without killing the vessel… But I’m not sure it has ever been done… I’m not even sure anyone had made a living Horcrux before…” 

Snape started collecting books in the higher shelf of his personal library before seemingly noticing that the crying teenager was still in his office. 

“Maybe…” the Potion Master started. “Maybe, Diggory’s death is just a coincidence. Do you know anyone else that should have died or would have died soon?”

Teddy shook his head and cried louder. “The next that I know of for sure is next year… June, the 18th.”

“Who is it?”

“Sirius…” 

And with that Teddy burst into even more tears. He couldn’t do it. He couldn’t bet on Sirius’s life or chose between his and Harry’s. 

 

The road back home in the Hogwarts Express went in absolute silence. During the last few days of school, Teddy had raided the Restricted Section in his search of any book on Time travel and alterations of time. Snape had given him full access and vouched for him so he could take home some of the books he found. 

Teddy spent all his times reading those books. Some of them tackled advanced magic theories and were clearly above his school level but he didn’t care because he had to be sure whereas Sirius’s life was at risk or not! 

At some point during the ride, Draco had tried to get his attention. 

“Come on, Edward. Would you, please, close this book and join us for an Exploding Snap tournament?”

“Sorry, I don’t want to…” Teddy muttered. 

“I know you’ve been shocked by Diggory’s d…” he started sighing but didn’t finish his sentence because Harry elbowed him. “Anyway. One misinterpretation of a prophecy isn’t enough to react like that… Seers aren’t always right, you know?”

“Shut up Draco!” Teddy snapped. “I told you I didn’t want to play your stupid game so now piss off, okay?!”

After that, nobody talked at all… Or maybe they put some silencing charm around Teddy because he just decided to stop listening to them. The book he was reading was already hard enough to understand without unsolicited interruptions...

 

Harry stayed near Teddy when the train finally arrived in Kings Cross. He took them to Sirius and Remus who were waiting on the platform. The Gryffindor launched himself into his godfather’s arms as he always did but something stopped Teddy from doing the same. 

It didn’t feel right… They would both die in less than 3 years if he did nothing… or maybe they would die whatever he did, and he was definitely not ready to lose them, so he needed to go back to his studies quickly. 

“Teddy, are you okay?” Remus asked worriedly, trying to grab his wrist but Teddy stepped out of his reach. 

He couldn’t allow himself to go soft. If he did, he knew he would go back to be an absolute mess and he would be useless for hours! He didn’t have hours to spare… 

“Let’s go,” he only said, taking the direction of the portal. 

He could tell that Remus and Sirius were surprised, and he heard Harry explaining that he had been like that since Cedric died. Sirius asked if they weren’t supposed to have had any kind of psychological assistance in school and Harry answered that he didn’t go. He didn’t care what they thought. He wouldn’t have been able to explain anyway so it was probably better to let them believe in some stupid conspiracy about Hufflepuffs being too soft… 

“Can we apparate?” Teddy asked finally getting exasperated by the situation. 

“Err… I came with the bike…” Sirius muttered. 

Teddy frowned. How stupid was that? They had their trunks and their owls, and they were 4 people! How could a bike be a practical choice in that situation?!!

“It’s okay,” Remus stepped in. “I’ll apparate Teddy home, you can take the bike with Harry, Sirius.”

And so, they did, parting way on the crowded platform without saying goodbyes to any of their friends. 

As soon as he got home, Teddy barely answered Kreacher’s greeting and went to his room. He had to organize his notes and looked for some books in the Black Library. Hopefully, they would be there… otherwise, he would have to go to Diagon Alley or maybe Knockturn… 

 

Teddy buried himself in his research for days. He ate in the library or in his room. Remus offered his help and asked him if he could do anything. But he couldn’t because Teddy wasn’t brave enough to explain what that was all about.

He sometimes exchanges a few owls with Snape about his latest findings… which were mediocre and led him nowhere. 

Draco passed by at some points, but he was no better than Harry at changing Teddy’s mind. Teddy ended up lashing up at him to go play Quidditch outside with Harry and to leave him alone. Draco stormed out the library and Teddy did feel a bit guilty, but he didn’t have time to waste on that. What if the Death Eaters went after Draco because of what Aunt Cissy did?? Draco barely survived the last war, and it was only because his parents managed to stay on the winning side at all time! No, Teddy had no time for bickering with his friend! He needed to make sure the future had been changed for good and that no one would die.

 

The nights were the worse. He had the hardest time to sleep and when he finally found it, he was plagued with nightmares. He saw Sirius, falling through some veil… Remus, grey and dead as Cedric had been… and Harry. Harry was screaming at him because it was all his fault. Because he had caused that. And then Harry wouldn’t agree to raise the child version of Teddy because he was disgusted with him… because it was all his fault! And baby Teddy grew up alone in a cupboard under unknown stairs…

Once, Teddy woke up screaming. Remus was sitting on the bed next to him and Sirius and Harry were looking worriedly from the door of his room. Teddy broke down that night and cried for what seemed like hours in Remus’s arms. 

“Tell us what is going on, Teddy?” his father begged. “Let us help…”

“You can’t… I have to do that…”

“What do you have to do? Whatever it is, you don’t have to do it alone…”

“Yes, I do… If I do nothing you… you will all die, and it would be my fault… I can’t… I… I’m sorry…”

He cried himself back to sleep. He knew they were worried. Of course, they were worried. But what could he do? He had no one… he was alone… 

However, after that night, his family seemed determined to prove him wrong on that part and wouldn’t let him on his own for more than a few minutes a day. They would take turns and stay in the Black Library with him. They talked to him, about his research or about other things. Harry wasn’t as comfortable as Remus and Sirius in doing so but, as time passed by, Teddy found it easier to let them in and he would sometimes stop reading to answer their jokes or breathe a little. 

On Harry’s birthday, they didn’t give Teddy a choice. Sirius had had the day all set. They had a portkey waiting to take them to Paris and spend the whole day in Disneyland. Space Mountain opened a few months before and with a bit of a _Confundus Charm_ , they managed a few rides without having to queue for hours! 

That day, Teddy managed to smile a little. Harry had charmed Mickey ears on Sirius’s head that morning and he kept it the whole day despite the disgusted looks he was receiving from French people in the subway. At the end of the day, Teddy even let himself be convinced by the man that pink was an appropriate hair colour for a fifteen-year-old.

 

However, the real change in Teddy’s mood came a few days later. He had been working in the Black Library since the early morning and sometime around 10, Padfoot came in to check on him. Teddy smiled wondering why Sirius had changed into his animagus form until the large dog put his head on his laps and looked at him with expecting puppy eyes. 

“It’s time for breakfast isn’t it?” Teddy asked while stroking Padfoot behind the ears. 

The dog licked his fingers before encouraging Teddy to follow him downstairs. Harry and Remus were sitting at the kitchen table, grinning. 

Sirius transformed back to human and pulled Teddy’s chair. 

“What is it?” Teddy asked suspiciously. 

Harry grinned even more. “We got our Hogwarts letters…” he simply said.

“Okay…” Teddy said, taking the letter Remus was giving him. It was heavier than usual. 

Teddy tried to ignore the three pairs of eyes who were looking at his every movement. It was just his Hogwarts Letter… he didn’t get what was the big deal about until he opened the envelope and something yellow and black fall onto his palm. 

“I knew it!!!!” Remus exclaimed. 

“Beat me… I raised two prefects… Prongs must be rolling over in his grave…” Sirius moaned. 

“I’m sad to be the one to break the news Padfoot, but you’re the only non-prefect in this room!” Remus grinned. 

“And I blame you for that, Moony!” Sirius groaned as if he was agonizing. 

“What?!!” Teddy exclaimed looking at Harry. 

Instead of answering, Harry showed him the red and golden badge that he was holding in his own hand. 

“What????”

But before Teddy could formulate the appropriate sentence, Hyperion, Draco’s eagle owl came flying in the kitchen, holding a deep red letter. 

The howler cleared its non-existing throat, turning to Teddy and his Slytherin friend’s voice resonated in the kitchen: “Hey asshole! You’ve got it all wrong! Weasley is no Prefect, Potter is! Your predictions don’t mean shit! Who in their right minds would make Weasley a prefect anyway?!! So, stop your stupid seer quest about changing an unpredictable future and be there for your brother, he had something to tell you!! Ah! And by the way, I’ve got the Slytherin badge.”   
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback, please? XD
> 
> A lot of fluff coming in the next few chapters, by the way, be ready!


	24. Confession

Draco’s howler made any reminiscence of stress in the room disappeared. Teddy didn’t know why Harry had turned a deep shade of red, but Sirius’s and Remus’s laughs were enough to make him join them. 

He had been chosen to be a Prefect, so had Harry and Draco! That was… That was glorious!

Suddenly, Teddy realised that he still did change the future far more than any of the witness testimony he managed to gather during his research ever had. He knew Sirius’s death date for sure but during his History classes with Victoire, he had learned that during the years 1995 and 1996, before Voldemort’s return was made public, many people disappeared. Those people had probably been killed too, and if so many people started dying again this year, the Prophet would probably talk about it. He would just have to check the news every day and if there were too many suspicious deaths in a row, he could still go back to try and save Sirius’s life… at least? It was probably selfish, but he didn’t care as long as he could keep his perfect family as it was right now…

“All right there?” Remus asked softly, a cup of hot chocolate in hands, while Sirius was tickling Harry and making fun of him on the other side of the table. 

Teddy nodded slowly. “Yes. Draco’s right. It’s useless to try and change something that I’m not even sure needs to be changed…”

“Wow! Philosophy in the early morning! What did I do to deserve that???” Sirius complained. 

“Technically, it’s 10:30 already…” Remus noted. 

“I don’t care Moony. Come with me, I need some fresh air… The Sleeping Dragon said they need to talk anyway! And Merlin knows Harry had delayed it long enough…”

“Sirius!” Harry exclaimed outraged. 

But Sirius ignored him, and Remus chuckled slightly while being pulled out of the room. 

“Maybe we should organize a celebration party…” Teddy heard Remus suggest from outside the kitchen. 

“A consolation party, you mean? I can’t believe I let you make two prefects… Not one! Two!!!! And Cissy’s dragon is one too… We’re so totally doomed…”

And then, they were too far away, and Teddy couldn’t hear them anymore. 

“We need to write Hermione, I’m sure she made it too…” Harry said. 

Teddy nodded. “I think I need to write to many people… I’ve been a jerk since the end of the year, haven’t I?” He grimaced slightly. 

“Well… Draco was slightly pissed…” Harry confirmed. 

“ _Draco_????” Teddy repeated and Harry’s face turned back to its tomato shade. Teddy must have missed something; it had always been ‘ _Malfoy_ ’ for Harry! “Does that have anything to do with what you’re supposed to tell me?”

“Well…” Harry started, looking away and stopping there. 

“Should I be worried that you might have stolen away my best friends while I was busy being a jerk to him?” Teddy joked. 

“Oh… if only you knew how right you are here…” Sirius’s voice beamed from the door. 

“SIRIUS!!!!” Harry yelled. 

“I’m just passing by!” the man defended laughing. “I forgot my _fags_ …”

“REMUS! PADFOOT IS HARRASSING ME AGAIN!!!!” Harry yelled to the door. 

“Hey!!!” Sirius protested but it was too late. 

“Padfoot, heel!!!!” Remus’s voice ordered from somewhere else in the house.

“Not cool, pup…” Sirius growled while living the room again. “Not cool…”

Teddy laughed lowly. “What was that about?” he asked Harry, smiling. 

“They know what I want to talk to you about and Sirius has been making fun of me about it since July…”

“Oh…” Teddy said, not really knowing what else to say. “Is it something important then?” 

When Harry nodded, Teddy felt bad for casting his best friend away for so long… Harry had told him he wanted to talk since the day of the last task… Because of his obsession with the future, Harry had had to keep whatever that was for himself for almost two months… 

“Do you want us to move somewhere more comfortable?” he offered. 

Harry shook his head this time. “No. I think I just need to say it so we can get over it…”

“… okay...”

Harry sighed and took a deep breath, but nothing came after that and he just ended up growling as he put his forehead on the table. 

“Harry… you’re scaring me…”

Harry laughed grimly. “I’m sorry… It’s nothing that big… I mean, Draco just… Do you remember what he told you during the final task?”

Teddy frowned and tried to remember. Everything about that evening was kind of blurry in his mind. “About him being gay?” he tried.

Harry nodded. “I think I… might… be that too…” he said really slowly as if he was afraid Teddy would lash out. 

Teddy stayed silent, astonished. That was definitely a big change! He didn’t think that anything he did could have led to this kind of massive alteration. Did that mean that Harry had already been gay or at least bisexual in the other timeline? So, what was he doing with Ginny? 

Suddenly, Teddy realised that he had been silent for too long and that Harry was sending him nervous glances. 

“Oh… okay,” he only said. 

“You don’t mind?”

“Why would I? It’s just who you are… I don’t have to mind anything about it.”

Harry grimaced. “You minded when you found out about Sirius and Remus…”

“I… it’s not the same. I didn’t mind that they were gays! They just… it’s just… I don’t know how to explain it; I was just shocked okay? But it’s not… You can love whoever you want.” He finished. 

“Hum…” 

“Is that all?” Teddy asked. “Wait… Why does Draco know about this???”

Harry grimaced awkwardly. “Well… you see, thanks to your Quidditch practice routine, we spent quite some time together last year…”

“Enough to go to him rather than me for something like that?!”

“No! It’s just…” Harry sighed. “Imighthaveacrushonhimandhemighthaveacrushback…” he spurted.

“What???!”

“We… I think I’ve got a crush on him for quite some time already… I mean, it was bothering since… well… I don’t know since when, but I didn’t really ever question it… well, until… untilhekissedmeinthelockerroom…”

“What?!!” Teddy repeated gaping. “Does that mean you’re going out now?!!”

“No!” Harry exclaimed. “I mean… he asked me out but… I told him I needed to talk to you first…”

“Harry, you don’t need my permission for going out with Draco! Or with anyone, really!” Teddy told him. “Wait… he kissed you but… You were okay with it, right? He didn’t force you to kiss him like in those stupid movies or something, right???”

“No… he asked me if it was okay to kiss me first but…” Harry was blushing a deep red again. “Can we please not talk about that?”

“O-kay…” Teddy’s mind was running free. Harry and Draco?!! HARRY AND DRACO??? “Wow… Wait… Have you been making him wait for an answer until you talk to me??? Has he been waiting for two fucking months????”

“Well… I didn’t want you to find out like we did for Sirius and Remus and have you shocked… I just wanted to talk to you about it first…”

“You want to go out with him, right? You told that you have a crush on him…”

Harry nodded shyly. 

“Fuck, he must hate me so much…” Teddy groaned. “I need to talk to him!”

“What?!! No, Teddy, wait!!!”

But Teddy was already marching to the fireplace. He grabbed a handful of floo powder and called clearly “Malfoy Manor”.

 

He stumbled out the fireplace and a young elf appeared in a pop in front of him. “Hello, Dobby. Do you know where Draco is?” he asked. 

“Young Master Draco is in the music room, Master Edward. Does Dobby need to tell Master Draco that Master Edward has arrived?”

“No, it’s okay Dobby, I’ll go to him directly. Thank you.”

The elf smiled at him before disappearing again. Teddy walked quickly to the designated room. Draco was sitting at the piano but wasn’t playing. He seemed lost in his thoughts. 

“You snogged Harry?!!!” Teddy roared at him. 

Draco jumped on his seat, but his indifference mask was perfectly back in place when he turned his way. 

“Hello to you too, Edward. I reckon that he finally talked to you then…”

“Why the hell didn’t you tell me?!!”

Draco shrugged. “He wanted to tell you himself… So? What is it? Do we have your blessings?”

Teddy rolled his eyes. “You don’t need my blessing or my permission or I don’t know what. It’s your lives!”

“Don’t you think I told him that?” Draco snickered. 

“Merlin… you and Harry… Since when???”

Draco shrugged. “He has always been gorgeous on a broom…”

“Draco!!!!” 

“Yes, that’s my name. Thank you for remembering, Edward,” the Slytherin snarled. “So, what is it? Did you really get a badge too?”

Teddy smiled softly. “Yes. I’m the Hufflepuff prefect… How did you know?”

“Harry owled me this morning when he got his. He said that your envelope was equally well-weighted but that you were too self-absorbed in your stupid studies again to open it…”

Teddy felt the passive-aggressive rebuke in that sentence. “I’m sorry…” he said honestly. “I’ve been a jerk and you didn’t deserve the way I treated you. You’re right, what I know… I can’t know for sure if it’s unstoppable or not. I just thought… I thought that if I do nothing, people I care about…people might die and… I don’t know how to stop that?”

“Did you talk to other seers about it?” Draco asked softly. “I mean, I’m no seer myself but you’re probably not the first one with this ability to experience something like that… What does Lovegood say?”

Teddy pinched his lips and dropped himself on the bench next to Draco. 

“I don’t know… She… Her gift is different. She can’t know for sure and had never tried to act upon it…”

Draco stared at him. “You tried to change the future???” 

Teddy nodded. “I did it… and everything was okay until…” He shook his head. 

“Until Diggory died!” Draco exclaimed. “Merlin, Teddy! Did you tell someone????”

“Snape knows…” he sighed. He was sick of this. He wanted to tell Draco everything. But if he did now and didn’t manage to save everyone lives, Draco would certainly hate him… And he would have to explain that he was the reason why Draco’s father was in Azkaban… that could end up badly…

“Teddy, did… did your godfather die because you changed the future???”

Something crushed into Teddy’s heart. That was a low blow. All the tension of the past weeks came back at him and heavy tears crashed on the back on his hands. 

“Ugh… Sorry, Teddy, I didn’t mean to… I…”

Teddy’s shoulders crumpled forward, and Draco immediately wrapped him into a tight hug. They didn’t need to talk. Draco was his best friend and Teddy knew he should have let him in weeks ago. So, he just cried.

 

“Please, don’t kill each other!!!” Harry’s voice yelled in the manor a few minutes later.

And that alone made Teddy chuckle slightly into Draco’s arms. 

Draco made sure Teddy was okay before yelling back. “We’re not dead!”. And Harry appeared a few seconds later, accompanied by Dobby. 

Harry seemed surprised to see Teddy’s red eyes and wet cheeks. Draco’s arm was still around his shoulders and the Hufflepuff had no wish to move from there. 

“Master Draco, Master Harry Potter has arrived.”

“I can see that Dobby…” Draco sighed. 

“It’s a great honour! Very great honour! Young Master Draco has always loved Harry Potter!”

And then Teddy burst into laughing tears as his two best friends were turning red once again.   
 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!!   
> I hope you liked it! Thank you so much for your kudos and coms! Even more fluff coming in the next chapter!   
> Feedback, please???


	25. Teenage stupidity

Teddy put away his study about time travel and timeline changes for the rest of the summer, but he was now realizing that he was far behind in his summer assignments… So once again, he locked himself in the Black Library. Harry joined him because he hadn’t worked before either and both of them had to suffer Hermione’s scolding when she passed by during the last week of summer. 

They had been right; she was a prefect too… and she had been prompted to judge them for not doing their homework earlier… 

They finished everything by the 30th of August, and Remus ironically congratulated them for the great example they set as Prefects. Teddy and Harry tried to pretend they felt guilty about it, but the faces Sirius was doing behind his boyfriend weren’t helping. 

A few hours later, Sirius came to see them in their respective bedrooms as they were finishing packing. 

“Pup and Cub? Attention, please…” he announced with a grin. “As you’ve finished your homework in due time and to properly grieve in advance all the parties you are going to ditch next year because you will have Prefect duties… I decided to take Moony out for a romantic night in the City. You’ll have the house for yourselves…”

Teddy raised an eyebrow. “Like we do every other moon, what’s so special about that?”

Sirius’s grin became maniac as a silvery fabric slip from his right hand. 

“What are you doing with my father’s cloak, Sirius?” Harry asked. 

But as he was talking, a great collection of bottles appeared on the floor. None of them was pumpkin juice… 

“Sirius…” Teddy sighed. 

“I want you two to get wasted!!!!!”

“What?!” Harry laughed. 

“Just, don’t tell Remus, okay?” Sirius smiled.

“Don’t tell me what?” came Remus’s voice from the stairs. 

“Nothing~” Sirius chanted while putting the Invisibility Cloak back in place on the liquor supplies. He then went to Remus, probably telling him that they were going out. Remus seemed to argue for a few minutes before his louder voice was heard again. 

“No boyfriend allowed, Harry!!” he yelled, and the entry door slammed loudly in the house a few microseconds later. 

Teddy grinned at Harry who was blushing again… which he had been doing during most of the past weeks as neither Sirius nor Remus seemed to spare him about his relationship with Draco. 

“What do we do?” Harry asked uncomfortably. 

“I don’t know… Sirius told us to get wasted…”

“We can’t just drink all that like that!”

“I think I read something in a mag… It was a drinking game while watching a movie… Wait!” Teddy disappeared in his room and found the muggle young adult magazine. “Here! We can do the one watching _Aladdin_! One shot every time someone said the words ‘street rat’, ‘Agrabah’ or ‘Ali Ababwa’, or when Iago is hurt… and bottom-up of your main drink at the beginning of each song!”

“That sounds stupid…” Harry shook his head. 

“Come on! It’ll be fun!!!!! There’s also one on _Home Alone_ , if you prefer…”

Harry grimaced. “Urgh… the movie about parents that don’t even notice that their youngest son is missing until after the plane takes off? No, thanks! _Aladdin_ is better. The VHS is downstairs.”

“Deal, then?” Teddy smiled sheepishly. 

“Deal! I’ll just prepare some sandwiches and ask Kreacher if we can have other snacks!” Harry exclaimed. 

“I’ll prepare the drinks! There’re some cocktail recipes in the mag too!”

“… I’m not sure that mag is appropriate for 15-year-olds…”

“Oh, shut up! Your prefect duties don’t start until tomorrow!” Teddy groaned 

“I think that’s why Sirius wants us to get wasted…” Harry chuckled. 

“Should we ask friends to come over?”

“Remus said no boyfriend…” Harry sighed. 

“I was thinking about Ron and the twins…”

Harry stopped on the stairs but shook his head after a few seconds. “Na! I see them all year in the Common Room. I’d rather spend the evening with you.”

“Aww~ Har’, I’m touched~”

“Shut up, you idiot!” Harry grinned before jumping the last stairs and calling Kreacher. 

Less than an hour later, the two of them were more than partially drunk. Teddy thought that he might have poorly proportioned the drinks… or maybe Wizarding world alcohol was stronger than muggle one… or maybe they were just lightheaded because it was the first bloody time they drank that much. 

“I’ll miss that,” he sighed slowly, his head leaning on Harry’s shoulder. “Spending time with you…”

“We have parties every other weekend in the Gryffindor Tower … I could seep you in. Hufflepuffs are usually welcomed… Fred said that’s because you are the ones with the weed…”

Teddy grinned. “I heard that rumour too, but I’m sure Neville is the most reliable source in our year… Or he’ll be soon…”

Harry chuckled and sipped in his drink. “I agree. Anyway, you can come anytime, you know? Even without weed…”

Teddy smiled softly. “What about your Slytherin boyfriend? Would he be welcomed in the Lions’ den?” When Harry grimaces, Teddy slouched a little more to put his head on his best friend’s lap and smiled at him. “Don’t worry, I’ll throw parties in the Puff’s burrow and you’ll both be welcomed!”

However, Harry’s eyebrows stayed slightly frowned even after that declaration. 

“I’m not sure I want our relationship to be… public…” he muttered. 

“Why not? You’re cute together!”

“I’m not sure everyone would agree with you…” Harry said looking away. “I’ve already told Draco I’m not comfortable with public shows of affection… Us being close would already be strange enough…”

Teddy frowned. It wasn’t like Harry to be so shy. “Harry, you know it’s okay to be gay, right?”

“I… yeah, I know… but…”

“There’s no ‘ _but_ ’!” Teddy stopped him, straightening up. “You’re who you are! You love Draco and he loves you back! You’re allowed to be together! And if anyone has anything to say about that… I’ll deal with them!”

Teddy turned his hair in a blood red colour for more impact and Harry burst into laughter. Teddy grinned, he wanted Harry to stay that carefree forever. 

“I like your hair with colour…” Harry mused as Teddy was forcing his hair back to his more usual light brown colour. 

“Really?” Teddy asked, serving himself a new glass of the spiked punch. 

“Yeah. I think you were gorgeous with pink hair at my birthday…”

“Gorgeous?” Teddy chocked into his drink.

“Oh, come on! You know what I mean! You’re very handsome Teddy, I thought we enacted that at the Yule Ball last year!” Harry blushed. “But, just for the record… I’m already taken and totally not interested!”

“Fine, because I don’t do incest…” Teddy groaned. 

“Really? I thought you were the Heir Black… Don’t you intend to uphold the family tradition?” Harry grinned. 

Teddy pulled out his tongue and soon they were both laughing again. After that, Harry asked Teddy to try different hair colour and hairstyles until he settled on a turquoise blue for the top of his head and shorter brown hair on the back. They were both really pleased by the result. 

“You could do with a better haircut too…” Teddy said, eyeing Harry’s mop mass that he called hair.

“What do you suggest?”

That was the sign that Harry was so totally drunk, he would never give such a white card to his best friend otherwise. 

“You should grow them longer a bit and tame them in a loosy bun…”

“Buns are for girls!” Harry protested. 

“Sirius wear buns from time to time…” Teddy argued. 

“Yeah, but Sirius is… cool…” Harry admitted. 

“You could be cool too Har’…” Teddy smirked. 

“Jerk,” Harry smirked back. 

“Come on! I know the spell. The girls use it all the time and we could still cut them back if it’s too long…”

“Okay…” Harry finally agreed. 

Teddy took his wand and casted. “ _Capillum crescere_!”

Suddenly, the giant TV screen froze, and a funny smell reached their noses. 

“Fuck…” Teddy muttered. 

“We’re not supposed to do magic in this room…” Harry confirmed. 

“We’re so doomed…”

“If we don’t tell, they might not notice…”

But then the two friends looked at the dead bottles on the floor and some stains they made by being careless with their drinks along the evening. And they just started laughing again. There was no way they could keep this quiet!

“Let’s go to Sirius’s bathroom to do your hair!” Teddy decided and Harry nodded approvingly.

They relocated to the first-floor master bathroom. Sirius really had many products to do his hair and Teddy just loved it. He used some sleek-easy potion – which had been invented by Harry’s very own grand-father – to tame some of his best friend’s hair and then proceeded to cut off the surplus of dark mass. Harry had closed his eyes. Teddy massaged his scalp lightly before tying the top of his hair in a loose half-bun. 

“What do you think?” Teddy asked. “Like that, you really look like my godfather!” 

… probably because he just very much intentionally tried to replicate his godfather’s hairstyle on his best friend… 

Harry put his glasses back on and looked at the mirror. 

“Ugh… Feels far too grown-up for me! I feel like I need to grow a beard to go with that…”

“It sure would perfect the look!” Teddy grinned. “Wanna try?” His wand was already out, and he smiled sheepishly at Harry through the mirror. 

“Stay away from me!!!!” Harry jolted up. 

Teddy rolled on the floor laughing at his face. 

“Asshole…” Harry sighed jokingly. “Could you put my hair back to normal now?”

“Oh… I wanted to show it to Sirius first… I’m sure he would approve!”

“Sirius would approve any of our stupidest ideas…” 

“Why? Do you have something else in mind?” Teddy asked, mischief in the voice. 

“Well, I saw how you looked at that piercing store, back in Paris… I know Sirius had a book on that…”

“Really????” 

“Yeah, he showed it to me at the beginning of summer…” Harry went to the master bedroom and came back a few seconds later. Teddy was still sitting on the floor. “Here. You see, if you just want the classic one, in the lobe, it’s pretty easy.”

“Can we try it?”

“Are you sure?”

“Come on! Let’s do it!” Teddy said enthusiastically, clearing his right ear. 

“Okay…” Harry said, taking out his wand. “Let’s me just try once on…”

“The soap?” Teddy offered. 

“Perfect!” He cleared his throat. “ _Auris perfero_!” He casted clearly and a small hole appeared in the soap bar. He tried again a few times, aiming at a precise location each time. 

“You got it! Let’s do it for real!” Teddy encouraged him. 

Harry focused on Teddy’s ear. Once again, he cleared his throat and casted the charm. 

Nothing happened at first. Then, a white pain exploded in Teddy’s ear and he grabbed it, screaming. 

“Fuck!” Harry exclaimed as blood started flooding out of Teddy’s ear. “Fuck! Teddy! I’m sorry!! What can I… FUCCKK!!!!”

The door opened downstairs. 

“We’re hooooome!” Sirius’s voice resonated happily. 

“SIRIUUUUUUUSSSS!!!!” Harry called loudly while putting a towel on Teddy’s ear to drain the blood. “HEEEEELLLP!!!!”

The two adults were upstairs immediately. 

“Sirius! Blood!” Remus’s voice chocked just before they entered the bathroom. 

“What happened???” Sirius asked, kneeling on the floor next to them. 

“He wanted me to pierce his ear… the spell was easy… I tried it on the soap but…” Harry tried to explain. 

“Did you put the earring in yet? What did you use to numb his ear?”

“What? I…”

Sirius glared at Harry. “You didn’t read the book first, did you?!!”

“I…”

“Sirius, later,” Remus said in a calm voice. “I’ll sanitize one of your earrings… give him some painkilling potion.”

“No…” Teddy croaked. “I can’t have any…”

“Why?” Remus inquired. 

Teddy stayed silent but Harry answered for him anyway. “We’re drunk…” the Gryffindor boy admitted. 

Remus stayed silent for a long time. “Then I guess that this pain would be your punishment…” he sighed before leaving the room. 

Teddy winced into Sirius’s arms and he heard Harry’s sobbing. 

“Don’t worry pups, it won’t take long. He’s just pissed off because you partied without him…” Sirius tried to reassure them. He casted a cooling charm on Teddy’s ear and it lessened the pain a bit. “You aimed well Harry. Your father didn’t do so well on his first try on me…”

“Here,” Remus’s pissed voice said suddenly. 

“Thanks, Rem,” Sirius answered. “Ted? I need you to look up for a bit so I can see.” Teddy did as told, wincing again when Sirius touched his wounded lobe. Something cold slid through it and then Sirius muttered cleaning and healing charms and most of the pain went away. “Here! Perfect!” Sirius grinned, grabbing a hand mirror and showing it to Teddy’s face. 

A small black cube was sitting on his reddish ear. He couldn’t stop himself from grinning too. 

“Well aimed, Harry,” he smiled at his best friend who had clearly been crying a few seconds earlier. 

“What happened to your hair?” Sirius asked as if nothing just happened. 

“Wanted to try something new…” Harry muttered. “Teddy did mine, but I think it’s too grown-up for me…”

“Would you want me to do your hair? I’ve always done James’s when we were at school!”

“That’s it… just reward them as if they just haven’t almost killed each other!” Remus snapped. 

“Come on, Moony… We’ve done worst at their age…” Sirius tried to argue. 

“It’s not a bloody reason! This was utterly irresponsible! And you two are Prefects!!!!!”

“Well, technically… not yet…” Teddy pointed out and Remus stopped glaring at Sirius to glare at him instead. “What do you think about my new hair?” Teddy asked, nonetheless. 

Remus hmphed and looked away, pouting. So, Teddy got up and went to his father. He had a growth sprout during the summer and was now at the man’s shoulder level. 

“Come on, Remus… Honestly, why do you think?” Teddy asked again, making puppy eyes at his father. “Does it suit me? Do you think I will catch some girls with it?”

Remus sighed exasperatedly. “I don’t know any single straight girl who wouldn’t fall for you with that look, you perfect little stupid prick…”

“Really????”

“Really. Now, care to explain to me what happened to the TV room?”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!!! Honestly, this chapter was kind of a treat for my beta but I hope you love it too!  
> Reviews are always welcomed!
> 
> Teddy's look was openly inspired by fanarts founded with Google image...   
> https://weheartit.com/entry/161476840  
> https://weheartit.com/entry/206491712  
> As for Adult Harry's hairstyle that Teddy tried to recreate on teenage Harry, here the inspiration (once again google image, I'm terribly sorry if I don't credit the right person...):   
> https://www.imgrumweb.com/post/BWi8gKGA-if  
> https://blvnk-art.tumblr.com/post/154504078539/i-suddenly-had-this-headcanon-of-adult-harry-with
> 
>  
> 
> I have a quick question for you: if you had to put Tonks (Nymphadora) with any character from Hogwarts Mystery, who would it be? Gender doesn't matter to me and that character won't appear in this fic... but their patronus would - here again, if you have ideas of an animal representing that character... I mean, Remus is with Sirius, it would be sad to leave Dora alone, don't you think? Oh, and quick precision, Charlie and Bill are off limits! Please note that our Teddy didn't know that person so they probably died or became unavailable in the first timeline!  
> In lack of better ideas, the winner by default would be Diego Caplan with a duck patronus! You can, of course, vote for that choice by telling me in the comments too! XD


	26. Calm Before Storm

Remus hadn’t been mistaking… It really felt like every girl in Hogwarts had fallen for Teddy the moment he entered the train station with his new look. He really couldn’t tell why because, that day, he felt like shit and slightly hangover as Remus had refused to give them sober-up potions as part of their punishment for being stupid influenceable teenagers… They were also grounded…

“I tried to stop it!” Sirius had explained to them on the platform. “But he had already written to your Heads of House… No Hogsmeade weekend for you until November, guys… Sorry.”

Harry had complained loudly but Teddy only smirked. His ear still ached a little, but it was totally worth it! 

“Wow! Look at that, Forge!! Little Wolf is out hunting this year!” Fred exclaimed when they met the Weasleys. 

“Birds beware!!” George confirmed. “Or blokes?” he asked. 

“Birds…” Teddy confirmed with a half-smile and he swore he heard some girls squeal their approval not that discretely a few meters away.

The twins were grinning and put an arm around his shoulders. Teddy was now as tall as them. 

“Don’t forget us when you’ll be forced to turn some of them down.”

“We don’t do House segregation either…”

“We take everything!”

“Urgh… maybe not everything… Anyway, we could always redirect them to Ron. _He_ would take anyone!”

“Hey! I heard that!” Ron said next to them. He was the same height as the Twins too now. 

“Don’t worry Ron,” Harry smiled. “I’m sure you’ll make it to the Gryffindor Quidditch Team and then you won’t need to worry about girls!” 

“Speaking of chicks…” Fred said as Hermione and Draco were coming their way. 

“What happened?!!” Draco asked while looking critically at Teddy’s hair. 

“Oh! It was a glorious last night of not being prefects!” Sirius said proudly. 

“Harry almost cut Teddy’s ear off in his drunkenness…” Remus sighed. 

“Always so dramatic…” Sirius teased him before kissing the frowning man on the cheek. 

“Teddy, you can’t…” Hermione said. “You… You can’t be a prefect wearing this kind of… It’s against the rules!”

“It’s not, we checked,” Harry smirked. “Nothing about students’ hairstyle on the rulebook.”

“Yes but… the piercing… I mean it’s… outrageous!” she said but she was actually blushing slightly. 

“Your ears are pierced though…” George pointed out. 

“It’s not the same! I’m a girl!”

“Are you saying the rules should apply differently in regard to the gender of the students?” Fred raised an eyebrow. 

“I…”

“It’s a bit retrograde… I thought you were a feminist… all about equal rights and all…” George continued. 

And Hermione exploded. “Don’t make me say something I didn’t say!!!” she yelled and stormed to the train, leaving the boys laughing behind her.

“We should go too,” the Twins announced. “Let’s go, Gin’!”

Teddy had barely noticed the girl after spending years trying to ignore her when he was with her family. He turned his eyes to Draco who was still analysing his new look. 

“Falling in love, Draco?” he smirked. 

“Shut up, you tosser,” the Slytherin snarled. “Are you staying like that the whole year?”

“Why yes! Harry said that I was gorgeous with that hair after all!”

“Harry said what?” Draco repeated glaring at his boyfriend. 

“Don’t worry, Draco,” Harry sighed. “Teddy made it very clear that he wouldn’t pursue the Black tradition of incestuous relationships…”

Sirius barked a laugh at that. “Rem’… I think they’re still drunk. We surely can’t let them go like that! Can’t I just give them some sober-up potion?”

“No,” Remus said. “They’ll learn the consequences of their actions and suffer their hungover until the Sorting Feast tonight. Period. Now, off you go before I decide I’m being too soft on you!”

Teddy and Harry smirked and hugged the two adults. 

“See you at Christmas,” Teddy mumbled in Remus’s ear. 

“Are you sure?” the man asked surprised that the boys wouldn’t rather spend time with their friends. But Teddy nodded determinedly, he had wasted too much time with Sirius and his father that summer already. 

 

Teddy’s new look had immediately been the new topic at the school. Professor McGonagall had sighed something about Sirius finally rubbing on the boys when she saw him at the first Prefect Meeting of the year. Snape seemed to think along the same line but refrained from commenting further, only sending Teddy some sneers now and then for the first week or so. 

The morning of the very first day of school, a few people asked Teddy to confirm that he was really single and before the end of the day, a few girls had asked him what he was planning to do for the next Hogsmeade weekend. 

Apparently, the news about his new look even went over Hogwarts’ walls since, one week into term, he received an owl from Gaby Delacour asking for a picture. Apparently, Fleur had started working at Gringotts after her graduation and was now a good friend with Bill Weasley. One of the Weasley brothers must have snitched on him… 

“I can’t believe you set me up with Neville last year and then you reappear looking like that this year!” Hannah Abbot, his fellow Hufflepuff prefect, had complained to him during one of their patrols.

“Why? Is anything wrong with Neville?” Teddy inquired. 

“No… he’s perfect. Kind and all… but…” She looked at his pierced ear and blushed. He grinned widely at her. “Tosser…” she sighed, and Teddy started laughing. 

The story about Teddy and Harry being grounded and not being able to go to Hogsmeade seemed to be known by the whole female population in the school before their first free weekend. Now, girls fought for staying behind with Teddy and keep him company. As it was pretty clear that Harry would spend the day with Draco, Teddy accepted the proposition of one Marietta Edgecombe, 6th year Ravenclaw and friend to Cho Chang. He did tell the girl to keep it quiet… but the whole school knew about it anyway. 

He stayed with her for about two weeks. The girl’s only hobbies seemed to be gossiping and trash-talking about other girls and Teddy got sick of it. 

The weeks passed by, and Remus’s punishment came to an end. Teddy had other dates and stayed with some other girls but rarely more than a few weeks. Of course, he cared about the girls but as soon as he realised that no sentimental feelings were sticking whatsoever, he just told them that he wanted to stay friends. 

 

One day during November, he was supposed to have Prefect duties with Harry, but the boy hadn’t been in the Gryffindor Tower when he went there. The twins told him that Harry was still in the Pitch and their grinning smiles should have been a giveaway because when Teddy knocked at the Gryffindor changing room before entering it, he found his godfather with his tongue deep down Draco’s throat. Harry was set over Draco’s laps and the Slytherin’s hands were clearly enjoying the form of Harry’s ass under the jersey of his quidditch uniform. 

Teddy cleared his throat loudly at it seemed that the two boys were so much busy they didn’t hear him the first time. 

Harry jolted up and almost fell on the floor if it was not for Draco catching him before it’s too late. The Slytherin glared at Teddy. 

“What?”

“Harry, you’re late,” Teddy only said. “I’m waiting for you outside.” 

With that, he left. Harry joined him a few minutes later. His hair was, even more, a mess than usual and the lingering of a deep blush was still colouring his cheeks. 

“Sorry about that…” he muttered as they started walking back to the castle. 

“Well… I certainly will have a hard time taking that out of my mind. If I have nightmares about it, I’ll let you know…” Teddy joked. 

“You could just have knocked…”

“I did,” Teddy grinned, and Harry groaned. “I reckon it’s going fine between the two of you then?”

Harry shrugged. “I’m sure Draco has already told you all about it…”

“Funny thing, he doesn’t talk about you behind your back…” Teddy mused. 

Harry rolled his eyes. “You’re his best friend.”

“I reckon he tries to protect your privacy…” Teddy answered. “And so, do you, apparently, as you won’t talk about him either… to me, at least.” 

Harry looked down guiltily. “I’m sorry, Ted… It’s just… you’re his best friend and I don’t feel like complaining to you about him…”

“I’m your best friend too!” Teddy pointed out. “And do you have something to complain about?”

“Not really… But I’m sure you don’t want to hear about what I do to him in my dreams…” Harry grinned without looking up from the ground. 

“Urgh! No, today’s scenery was already wild enough!” Teddy groaned. “Yet, Harry, if… if you ever need to talk to me, you can, okay? I don’t care that he’s my best friend or I don’t know what. If he hurt you, or try to force you to do anything you’re not ready for… you come to me, okay?”

Harry looked at him sideways. 

“Can he also go to you if I was the one to hurt him or to force him into something he doesn’t want to do?” he asked slowly. 

“Of course,” Teddy answered. “Why? Is that an issue?”

“No… I’m glad you’re here for him, that’s all…” Harry breathed looking forward again. “He told me that Pansy was being a prick about our relationship so…”

“Well, she did have a crush on him since 2nd year…” Teddy reckoned. “Theo told me that she was being a bitch and that he would put her back in her place if she continues… So, I reckoned some Slytherins still have your boyfriend’s back.”

Harry nodded and Teddy noticed how his shoulders relaxed slightly. 

“Speaking of relationships…” Harry said, changing the subject. “I think Hermione has a crush on you…”

“What?”

“She’s… Well, what would you say about stopping playing around and settling with someone you actually care about?”

“Harry, I don’t see Hermione like that!” Teddy argued. “I mean, I love her, she’s one of my best friends but… nope.”

Teddy shook his head. Hermione was one of his favourite people in the world! But she was also doomed to turn into his Aunt Mione and that… nope. He couldn’t see her like that! 

“I think you would do a great couple though… I mean, you’re both smart and… bookwormish!” Harry grinned. “Imagine! O.WL. study dates! The library is soooo romantic!”

“Fuck off, Har’. Not gonna happen,” Teddy sighed. 

Harry smiled sadly. “I think she knows that too, but… maybe you could talk to her about it? She’s driving Ron mad by talking too much about your last conquests apparently…”

“Oh? And not you?”

“I don’t spend so much time in the Gryffindor Common Room lately…”

“Because Draco isn’t there?” Teddy guessed. 

Harry nodded but Teddy noticed that, once more, he was lost on his mind.

“Anything else on your mind?” Teddy encouraged him. 

“Nah… We just decided to take a break for the next two weeks…” Harry sighed. “You just interrupted our goodbye shag…”

Teddy stopped dead. “What??? Why?!”

Harry stopped a few steps ahead of him and looked back grinning. “Gryffindor-Slytherin annual derby! No way I go soft on him!!” 

Teddy grimaced. He forgot about that. He wondered what he should do for the match this year… Maybe he could have matching outfits with Luna…

“The winner can ask whatever he wants to the looser,” Harry continued, a knowing smile on the face. 

Teddy groaned. “Urgh… I don’t want to know or picture that! Just promise me that you will both ask for consent first… and don’t forget to bring condoms!”

“We’re not that far yet!!!!!” Harry exclaimed turning a deep shade of red. “Do wizards use condoms anyway?”

“I don’t know… Didn’t Sirius and Remus give you ‘ _The Talk_ ’? I reckon they know a fair bit about wizarding gay sex…”

They both stopped at that point. A deadly silence was surrounding them. “Urgh! Now, I pictured it!!” they squeaked at the same time before bursting into laughter. 

 

The whole school year passed by in similar fashion. Teddy went to a few dates. His longest relationship had been with Tracy Davis, 5th Slytherin. They had been together for two months when the girl offered to take it one step further. They were at a party and her hand had slid to Teddy’s crotch while they were shrugging on a couch. 

“Do you want to go somewhere quieter?” she whispered into his pierced ear. 

Teddy liked the girl alright but didn’t feel ready for that. So, he kissed her cheek and told her. She said nothing about it that day, but their relationship stopped abruptly a few days later when Teddy stepped into her and Blaise Zabini in a broom closet during one of his prefect patrols. 

 

Teddy still had his Potion making sessions with Snape and the man helped him search the news to any abnormal number of deaths. There was none. So soon, Teddy managed to put his fears about Sirius’s potential death in the back of his mind. 

The O.W.L exams preparation took most of Teddy’s time anyway. He had some awkward moments with Hermione after he confronted her about her feelings, but they sorted all out while studying for the O.W.L mock exam of December. 

She had come over at Grimmauld Place for New Year Eve and everything had been friendly between them. Ron had started going out with Lavender Brown from Gryffindor and Hermione now seemed more pissed about that than over Teddy’s eventful romantic life. 

Harry and Draco had gone back together after Gryffindor won the match and Teddy was happy for them because they really seemed to complement each other well. They only really came out to the whole school on Valentine’s Day, when Harry got treacle tart flavoured chocolates from Draco and marched through the whole Great Hall to thank his boyfriend properly under the cheers of their closest friends. 

Colin Creevey actually caught the scene in a picture and Teddy happily sent a copy to Sirius and Remus. The very next day, an owl delivered a pack of condoms and lubricant – ‘ _if they want to do it the muggle way_ ’ – and a list of _useful_ charms to both Harry and Draco – ‘ _because honestly, it’s what magic is for_ ’. A note was attached to the parcel. 

‘ _We’re happy for you and you can talk to us any time… but, really… we don’t want to know. Love. Padfoot & Moony._’ 

 

Everything was perfect and the O.W.L exams went smoothly for Teddy and his friends.

On the last day of the exam, they were to have a big party in a room on the 7th floor with all 5th years from the four Houses. Someone had spiked the punch, and everyone was celebrating. Ron asked Teddy if he was the one to have charmed Harry’s and Draco’s lips together because, every time he was looking their way, they seemed to be snogging. Teddy laughed at that before asking Hermione for a dance. The girl really needed to evacuate all the stress she had been building up for weeks. 

Then… around 11 pm… something crushed into Teddy’s heart. 

“Hey! Okay, mate?” Neville asked. 

They were refilling their drinks together when Teddy’s glass crashed on the floor. Teddy put his hand on the table to try to retain his stability. 

“Yay… I think I drink a bit too much… sit…” he mumbled. But deep down, he knew it might be something else. He had never reacted like that after drinking… it was as if someone was trying to crush his heart in his chest. 

Neville took him to a chair but before Teddy could sit, everything went dark and he crashed on the floor. 

 


	27. Repercussions

When Teddy woke up, he felt the softness of a mattress under him and the smell of healing potions around him. He tried to remember what happened. The O.W.Ls, the party, his friends’ laughs… the date on the History of Magic O.W.L exam – 18th of June 1996. His breath stuck to his throat and he coughed painfully. 

A glass of water was immediately put against his lips and he drank thankfully. 

Teddy cracked an eye open. Madam Pomfrey was holding the glass of water. Snape was standing behind her. Someone was holding Teddy’s hand and he looked the other side to see Remus’s worried face. 

“S-Sirius?” Teddy croaked. His throat was on fire, but it was nothing compared to the tears building up in his eyes. 

“I’m here, cub!” Sirius’s strong voice said from the other side of the room and soon enough, the man was sitting on his bed. 

He was still alive.

Teddy couldn’t control himself and burst into tears. He was so relieved. Sirius didn’t die!!

“Hey, cub, I’m here!” Sirius repeated while taking him into a tight hug. Remus was stroking his hair. Teddy couldn’t express how thankful he was. 

“Is he awake?” Draco’s voice asked from the Hospital Wing door and Teddy looked up from Sirius’s arm to see him and Harry running to his bed. 

“Teddy! Are you okay???” Harry asked. 

“Merlin, Edward! You gave us the scare of our life! Don’t do that ever again!!!” Draco scolded after Teddy had nodded at Harry’s question.

“What happened?” Teddy asked. 

“We were at the party and everything was going fine and, suddenly, you just… collapsed,” Harry explained. “We reckoned that you might have drunk a bit too much…” 

“Drunkenness couldn’t explain his symptoms…” Madam Pomfrey sighed. “Your magic had been unstable for the past two days, Mister Wolfe. Would you happen to be under any kind of potion treatment? Did you take a potion the day of that party?”

Teddy shook his head. 

“As I was telling you, Pomfrey, Mister Wolfe had spent enough time under my tutorship as a Potion Master not to do something as stupid as mixing Potions and alcohol!” Snape snarled. 

“Oh? And do you have any explanation about what is happening to him, then, Snivellus???” Sirius snapped back. However, Remus’s soothing hand was immediately on his partner’s arm. 

“Calm down, Sirius,” he whispered into the man’s ear. “Teddy woke up. He’s going to be okay… Right, Poppy?”

But Madam Pomfrey didn’t seem so sure as she couldn’t explain what happened to the boy. 

What happened to Teddy was strange. He was sure he hadn’t been dosed with any potion, Snape would have certainly detected it already anyway… And, as far as he knew, there was no chronic disease running in his family…

“Harry?” he called. “Do you remember the time it was when I collapsed?”

“Err… I don’t know…”

“You were brought to me at 11:23 pm on the 18th of June,” Pomfrey supplied. 

Teddy thanked her for this information and frowned. That definitely was strange… but it might be a mere coincidence.

“I will need to keep him in under supervision until the end of the term…” the matron told Sirius and Remus. 

Teddy grimaced at that. He didn’t want to be stuck in the Hospital Wing for a full week!

“Is it really necessary?” Sirius asked. “Can’t we take him home early instead? It’s only in four days anyway…” 

“We’ll book an appointment at St Mungo’s to have his condition checked during the summer,” Remus added. 

Pomfrey frowned slightly. “You will need Dumbledore’s permission,” she finally gave in. 

“We’ll go to him right away!” Sirius said, getting up, Remus in toe. 

Harry and Draco were still looking at him worryingly. Teddy could see the way Harry’s hand was trembling into Draco’s. He felt bad for scaring them so much. 

“We… we should tell the others you’re awake…” Harry finally said. “They were worried too.”

“Okay. Tell them I’m feeling better and that I’m sorry for screwing up everyone’s party…” Teddy muttered. 

“You didn’t screw up anything!” Harry objected immediately. 

Thankfully, Draco was here to soothe him a little. 

“See you later, Edward,” the Slytherin said. 

“Yeah. Later,” Teddy confirmed. 

They left and Madam Pomfrey went to her office to prepare his transfer file. Teddy stayed alone with Snape. 

The man silently cast a privacy charm around them before glaring at Teddy. 

“What are you thinking about?” the Potion Master asked directly. 

Teddy looked at his fingering hands. “Nothing, it’s just… I don’t know the exact hour but… last time, Sirius died around the same time that I… collapsed. I don’t know if that’s even relevant…”

“You changed the future to save a life,” Snape analysed. “Did you find anything about retributions in your readings?”

“No…” Teddy shook his head. “Most testimonies stated that changing the future was impossible anyway.”

“I see…” Snape nodded. “Your connection to this world seemed to weaken. I’ll try to look into it and owl you if I find anything. On the meantime, I would like you to be careful and not to try and change the timeline further…”

“Okay…” Teddy complied. He was feeling too weak to do anything anyway. 

 

Teddy spent the next few days in St Mungo’s. The mediwizards put him under all sorts of tests. He was almost never alone as either Remus or Sirius or both would go with him. Harry was also there as soon as the term officially ended and Draco came often too, but in his case, Teddy couldn’t say if it was to see him, to bring Harry some emotional supports, or to study mediwizards at work… When he had expressed this though to Harry, he managed to snatch his first real smile from his friend in weeks. 

Teddy was discharged around the second week of July under a strict potion regimen and weekly check-up visits in the Hospital. 

Sirius and Harry threw up a party for his return, inviting all his close friends to Grimmauld Place – Draco, Ron, Hermione, the Twins, Luna, Hannah, Neville and Theo. Teddy had a great time and didn’t even feel that tired at the end. 

A few days later, the Tonks and Narcissa came to visit too. It was the day they received their O.W.L results and Teddy had achieved an astonishing eleven O.W.Ls! Which was one more than Hermione, but he really didn’t understand why the girl didn’t take the Muggle Studies exam as it was pretty easy for muggleborns even without having taken the class for three years… 

Dora stayed late that day, talking to Teddy while Harry was once again busy with Draco somewhere… He was kind of stuck in bed but having her talking as if it wasn’t such a big deal was refreshing. Teddy loved his family but seeing them so worried and sad every time they landed their eyes on him was devastating. 

Dora asked Teddy about school and girlfriends, and Teddy asked her about her first year as an actual auror.

“I got in just fine,” the girl told him. “We had these big parties when we close big cases! Seriously, it put in perspective anything we do at Hogwarts!”

They kept talking about everything and nothing until a silvery duck came half-flying half-sliding into the room. 

“Hey, Tonks! Just a reminder that we have a date in 30… if you ever want to try and not be late this time~” a smooth voice coming from the patronus announced. 

The duck then disappeared, and Teddy eyed his mother critically. Her hair had turned a shiny pink again. 

“Urgh… sorry about that. It’s from my boyfriend… I always feel bad when I’m late at our dates, so he started sending me reminders…” she explained. 

“You have a boyfriend?” Teddy repeated. 

“Yeah? His name is Diego. We went to Hufflepuff together, but I didn’t know him that well back then, he was more like the friend of a friend. But then we graduated Auror training at the same time and we had been hanging out as friends for a while and last June, he asked me out on a date and then… well, from what Harry told me, you know how it goes,” she was blushing deeply at this point. 

“That…” Teddy started but he really didn’t know what to say. His father had Sirius, so, of course, his mother deserved to be happy too… And then something clicked in his mind. His parents weren’t together!! If they weren’t together, how was he supposed to be born????

“Urgh? Teddy?” Dora called him. 

He looked at her. “Sorry! Could you give me some parchments and my quill, please? I need to write to Snape!!”

“What?!!” 

And then Teddy realised how it must look like from her perspective. “I mean… congratulations on your boyfriendship! I can’t wait to meet him, and I hope he treats you well. I just have an idea about this project I’m working on and I want to send it to Snape before it goes away…”

“Oh. Okay,” Dora smiled at him and grabbed his writing supplies for him. “I think I’ll need to go now then… Take care?”

“Thanks!” Teddy smiled at her. “Good luck with your date! Oh! And tell me in advance next time, I could help you do your hair!”

Dora grimaced. “Harry told me you made him look like an old man last time you did his hair…”

“Nonsense! I was drunk! I assure you I’m great with hairs! Did you see the picture of me with Luna at the Yule Ball last year? I did her hair.”

“Okay…” Dora didn’t seem convinced. “Next time then…”

 

By the end of summer, the potion regimen had worked well enough for Teddy’s healers to agree to let him go back to Hogwarts under the condition that he went to Madam Pomfrey the second he started feeling weak if it ever happened.

In school, everything seemed to have gone back to normal if it was not for Snape. 

“Are you sure there is no way for your parents to go back together at this point?” the Potion Master insisted in one of their first brewing session of the year. 

“Yes. They’re both in happy relationships,” Teddy confirmed. 

“And they weren’t last time?”

“There was a war going on… people died…” Teddy said grimly looking away. 

“Well, you could still do something so that their relationships weren’t so happy and that they ended up having an… accidental pregnancy…?” the man suggested. “Do they know each other already?”

“I won’t do that!!!” Teddy exclaimed. “I won’t screw their lives just so you have fun!”

“If you do nothing, you will likely disappear around the time of your non-existing birth!” the Professor snapped back. “When is that anyway? How much time do we have?”

“I won’t answer that!” Teddy yelled. “I won’t let you harm their partners! You’re the scheming genius! Find another way!”

He had stormed out of the room and avoided the Potion Master after that. He didn’t want to think about it. If he had only one year left, he wanted to spend it around his friends as much as possible. 

It was hard to pretend everything was okay though. He was aching everywhere, often he felt like his heart had just stopped beating for a few seconds. He had to focus to keep his hair their shiny turquoise blue Harry loved so much. He was thinking his act was good, but he could see the worried looks on Harry’s and Draco’s faces when they looked his way in the Great Hall. 

It was okay, he could do this.

Gaby wrote a lot that year. She had enrolled for a special internship program and if she did well enough, she could do a year as an Exchange Student in another Wizarding School. She was aiming at Hogwarts, but the competition was rough. Teddy mainly helped her with Potion Theory and English Language lessons. It helped him get away from the pain and it was less hurtful than seeing the actual pity in his friends’ eyes. 

During Christmas, Harry, Teddy, Remus and Sirius had been invited to the Burrow. Fleur and Bill had just announced their engagement and Molly was throwing a big celebration party. 

Teddy spent most of the evening talking with Fleur. Apparently, Gaby was often talking about him and Fleur wondered if Teddy was in a relationship with someone else. 

“Why? Are you interested? Didn’t you just say ‘yes’ to Bill?” Teddy joked. 

Fleur laughed. “I did. And no matter how charming you are little Wolfe, I’m afraid I won’t change my mind.”

Teddy toasted with her at that – even if it was just sparkling water in his glass not to mess with his potions.

“I must say, Teddy, I’m kind of surprised… The Veela attraction doesn’t seem to work on you… are you, maybe, into… boys?”

Teddy laughed. “Not at all. Very much into birds!” he smirked and forced a joyful expression on his face. He had been too tired to have any romantic relationship so far this year. “But you see, I’ve some creature blood in my vein too…” he admitted to the older girl. 

“Really?” she seemed really interested. 

“Hum. Hum.” Teddy confirmed. 

“Teddy’s father was a wolf~” Harry announced happily while leaning on Teddy’s shoulder. The Gryffindor was definitely not drinking water tonight. 

“Is that so?”

Teddy only nodded, trying to get free from his drunk best friend’s unsolicited hug. 

“C’est cool… Au moins je saurais que c’est sincère si jamais ça arrive ! ” Fleur declared in French before spotting her fiancé. ”Now, if you would excuse me, I think Bill is calling.”

“Are you hitting on the bride?” Harry teased Teddy. 

“I do not. What did you drink?”

Harry shrugged. “Don’t you think Ginny is lovely tonight?” he asked looking lovingly in the girl direction. 

“What?!” Teddy choked. 

He hadn’t been thinking about Harry’s and Ginny’s for years. What did that come from??

“I heard that she broke off with Dean… Do you think she would take me?” Harry continued as if he wasn’t hearing him. 

Was that just the alcohol speaking? 

“Harr… What about Draco?”

“What about him? He’s a git… I love red hair better…”

Teddy frowned. Draco had been at their house the day before and hadn’t looked like Harry and he had had a fight or anything… “Remus! There’s something strange with Harry!” he called. 

Remus and Sirius came over immediately. Sirius examined Harry who complained that he couldn’t see Ginny anymore. 

“Looks like Love potion intoxication…” Sirius growled. “But if we don’t know what kind of potion had been used, it would be difficult to counter it.”

Teddy frowned deeper and looked around until he noticed a box of chocolates in front of the place Harry had been previously occupying. He grabbed the box and smelled the chocolates, there was definitely some magical ingredients on them. 

“Harry, did you eat that??”

Harry looked at the box. “Yes. Ginny made them. I know it was for you, but you don’t love her anyway. You should stop being so mean to her Teddy, it’s mean. She has done nothing wrong and if she accepts to marry me, you’ll see her around a lot.”

Immediately, Teddy was on his feet and storming to the youngest Weasley. She smiled kindly at him. 

“What the fuck have you put in that???” he yelled at her, throwing the box of chocolates on her face. 

Her smile faltered immediately. She frowned and then seemed to notice Harry waving at her from his godfather’s arms. 

“What were you thinking???” Teddy continued. “Did you brew it yourself or did you buy it?!”

“I… I bought it…” the girl admitted looking down at her shoes. 

“So, you have the antidote in your room?”

“I…” she seemed hesitant. 

Teddy didn’t have the patience to wait for her though. 

“If you bought it from the legal market, it’s compulsory to include the antidote in the packaging! Go and check!”

“No need, we have it,” Fred said a few meters away. 

“She bought a Love Potion from us a few weeks ago, we didn’t know what for…” George confirmed before accioing a small vial from upstairs. 

He immediately went to Harry and gave him the potion. Harry’s stupid smile disappeared from his face as soon as the vial left his lips. 

“I think I’m going to be sick…” he muttered in Sirius’s neck and the man immediately conjured a bucket and put it on the boy’s laps. 

Teddy turned back to Ginny, furious. 

“You! What were you thinking?!!! Do you know what you have done?!! How did you even dose the fucking potion, so he reacted like that?!!!!! What if he couldn’t father anymore because of it?!!! How do you plan to compensate him for that?!!!!!”

“He… who cares? He’s gay…” Ginny tried to argue. 

It was too much for Teddy who just slapped her. “You’re a fucking menace!” he screamed. “He’s your brother’s best friend!!! Don’t you care?!! And didn’t you plan those chocolates for me anyway?!! Didn’t you notice I was taking dozens of potions since last summer?! I surely heard Ron talking about it when you were around. Do you know how they could have reacted to your stupid love potion?! Were you trying to kill me too??????” 

Ginny was petrified. She seemed so small and vulnerable… but Teddy wasn’t stupid. He knew what she was capable of! She just proved that she was already the woman that scared him to death a few years ago. 

“You’re the most disgusting person I’ve ever known! We only tolerate you because you’re Ron’s sister anyway! I don’t want to see your face ever again! And if you go to my friends once more… I’ll kill you! Do you hear me?!! I’ll fucking kill you!”

The silence in the room was deadly and Teddy couldn’t stand Ginny’s presence anymore. He really didn’t feel well. This confrontation had drained his last forces for the day. So, he just apologized to everyone else in the room and stumbled to the fireplace.

“Grimmauld Place,” he muttered while sending a handful of floo powder into the flames. 

He didn’t know if he made it because everything went black before his feet set back on a stable floor. 

 

He woke up a few hours later in his bed. Remus was sitting on the mattress next to him, casting a cooling charmed on a wet clothe before putting in on Teddy’s forehead. 

“Hey… How do you feel?” he asked softly when he noticed Teddy was awake. 

“Tired…” Teddy admitted. 

“You gave us quite a scare…” Remus nodded. “Next time, if you feel unwell, please wait for one of us before taking the floo by yourself, okay?”

Teddy nodded and closed his eyes. He was feeling really weak. He wondered if this time of the year had been important for his parents last time. 

He opened his eyes again when he felt Remus chuckling slightly next to him. 

“What?” he asked. 

“Nothing… the other day, Sirius told me that, when you’re exhausted, you unconsciously change your appearance and start looking just like me… I can see it now. I must say, I’m kind of flattered.”

Teddy smiled tiredly at that, but his tears started running down his temples without his consent. For years, he had tried to not look too much like his father, first because it made his godfather sad and then, so Sirius and Remus wouldn’t notice. But he couldn’t even do that now… He was going to die… he didn’t want to die… 

“Teddy? What’s wrong?” Remus asked while trying to whip away his tears. 

“I… I’m not okay… I… I don’t want to die…”

“Oh… cub…” Remus took him in his arms and tried to soothe him, but it wasn’t working. 

Teddy was hurting and he didn’t feel like anything mattered anymore. He barely noticed that Remus just sent his patronus away. 

“What’s going on?” Sirius’s voice asked a few seconds later. “I was just with Andromeda on the floo, Dora is getting married too…”

He shut up, probably upon seeing Teddy’s state. Then, he must have had a silent conversation with Remus because the next thing Teddy knew, he was held by another set of arms.

“We’re here, cub… What is it? What can we do for you?”

Teddy kept crying. He didn’t want to leave but he could feel that the day was coming closer. He was scared. 

“S-Snape… call Snape…” he choked against Remus’s shoulder. 

The Potion Master was his only hope. 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The end is coming closer~ I'm not sure I'll be able to update again before the end of next week, but please, tell me what you think about that slightly longer chapter!!!
> 
> Ah! Fleur spoke in French in that chapter, didn't she? Here the translation :  
> "C’est cool… Au moins je saurais que c’est sincère si jamais ça arrive !" --> "That's great... At least, I'll know it's sincere if it ever happens!"


	28. Snape

Severus Snape wasn’t easily shaken. He had served the two most powerful wizards of the last half-century. He had played the spy to each of them and had seen his best friend died because of it. He still had other allies, though. Some of them even turned to him to look after their children when they were unable to do so themselves… Yet, nothing had ever bothered him more than the fate of a strange boy lost in time…

At first, Severus had only been interested in the boy because Narcissa Malfoy, an old acquaintance from his school years, asked him to look into her son’s new friend’s background. The two boys had bonded quickly after Lucius’s case had been made public and she was afraid that this unknown boy might take advantages of the situation her son was founding himself in. The safety of her son had been part of the deal she had made with Dumbledore in exchange for accessing her sister’s vault at Gringotts, so Severus didn’t really have the choice. 

Moreover, Severus had found the friendship between the young newly-estranged Malfoy Heir and the half-blood Hufflepuff – friend of the insufferable Boy-Who-Lived and from an unknown family – strange too and he had resorted to Legilimency to find out what was really behind it. 

What he found out couldn’t have been farther from what he had been imagining. 

The Hufflepuff didn’t have second thoughts if not for genuinely wanted to help the Malfoy Heir because the man he was meant to be helped said Hufflepuff when he was a child. 

Edward ‘Teddy’ Wolfe was a time-traveller. An 11-year-old accidental time-traveller from what he gathered and Merlin, the boy had been active during the first few months in this foreign time.

Severus had matched the boy’s magical signature with the mysterious letter Dumbledore had received during the summer and tipping him off about the Dark Lord’s horcruxes. As it turned out, the boy was also at the origin of Pettigrew’s arrest resulting in Sirius Black’s release from Azkaban after 10 years of abusive imprisonment. 

On the other hand, the boy was gifted in Potions and smart… He had handled a Cerberus and saved the Malfoy Heir’s life in his first months in the school! He was showing marks of House unity further than anyone before him. He clearly cared for his friends and after a few weeks of deliberation, Severus decided not to report him to Dumbledore. The man tended to accept too many sacrifices for the _Greater Good_ and the Potion Master wasn’t confident with the boy’s safety if the Headmaster ever learnt where he really came from. 

So, Severus had just watched the boy grow. He had been ready to offer him a home for the summer during his first year, but the kid had already been adopted by that mutt of Sirius Black. 

To say Severus had been surprised when the boy reached out to him the next year for Potion brewing tutoring was an understatement. But what had been even more surprising was that Severus had come to enjoy his time with the boy. The young Hufflepuff confirmed his smartness and was asking himself the right questions while brewing. He was eager to learn more and to experiment. It was funny to see him argue with the Malfoy Heir for hours about the effect of this or that potion ingredient when added in a certain way and/or at a certain time. 

By the boy’s 4th year, Severus had realised he had grown attached to him. He felt something he hadn’t felt in years when he discovered the boy crying on the ground in front of his office door after Diggory had died in the Triwizard Tournament. 

That night, two of Severus’s suspicions had been confirmed. First, the boy knew that the Potion Master was aware of who he really was. Second, the boy had retained information about the last horcrux. 

For years, Dumbledore had tried to kill the remaining spirit of Lord Voldemort, but the Dark Lord seemed determined to survive even if it was in that disgusting rudimentary monstrous body. The headmaster had theorized that the 7th horcrux – which was now known as only the 6th one – did have been created before Halloween 1991. However, despite the letter Severus left for him, the time-traveller boy had sat on that information for 4 years… And Severus now knew why. 

The last horcrux was a human. A man that the boy cared about and whose life he had begged that Severus would spare. 

In the meantime, the boy was terrified at the idea that deaths couldn’t be avoided no matter how much the future had changed. They decided to divide their research but to be honest, Severus had been relieved when the boy had come back from his Summer Holidays – no matter how ridicule his appearance – to announce him that his fear was probably unfounded and that he would just follow the news to be sure of it. 

That year, the boy had been so lively that Severus’s heart had melted a little bit – not that he would ever acknowledge that. The boy had mastered the Wolfsbane Potion the previous year, which had been his objective since the beginning of their private lesson and was now working on improving it. He had introduced the Malfoy Heir – who seemed to be going out with the insufferable Boy-Who-Lived – to muggle medicine and now, both boys were trying to mix wizarding and muggle innovation to come up with a vaccine against lycanthropy.

Nothing had prepared the stern Potion Master for awakening in the middle of the night to a very scared Malfoy Heir because his best friend had collapsed in the middle of an illicit teenage party. However, as soon as Severus stepped in the Hospital Wing and saw the desperate look on the Hogwarts’ matron, he knew it wasn’t a mere overdose. The boy’s magic was lashing as if it had been set free and was now becoming weaker by the seconds. 

Severus had been worried. However, he couldn’t say anything as the boy’s guardians – his childhood nemeses – were called to the Castle the next morning. The boy took two days to just open his eyes and he had been very weak. Severus immediately noticed how the boy’s brain started working over the date and hour of his _accident_. 

When they were finally alone, Severus asked the boy and the Hufflepuff had admitted it. His theory had definitively been invalidated. The mutt’s life had been saved as he should have died the day the boy collapsed. But now, the boy was dying instead of him. 

Severus had study day and night to find out what was happening and if there was any way to avoid it. The answer came on the last week of July by owl. The boy had resolved the mystery of his weak health. His changes made it so he wouldn’t be born in this world anymore. The boy was destined to disappear. 

The Potion Master hadn’t been able to accept that information. He had studied twice harder, trying to find a solution. The easiest one was just to ensure the boy would be born. But the boy refused when Severus had offered him that solution and estranged himself from him as a result. 

That year, the boy had only been the shell of what he had been the previous one. Oh, he did try to pretend, but it was pretty clear he was suffocating just to stay awake during his classes. His hair colour kept fading back from a dull blue to light brown after a few hours in public. The boy’s friends were worried, but Severus couldn’t do anything but keep on looking for an alternative that would allow him to keep the boy with him…

He might have found a solution, but he feared the boy was too kind to ever accept it. It was incredibly risky too…

Then, on Boxing Day, as Severus was taking a late breakfast in his quarters, away from the Great Hall and its commotion, his fireplace roared, and the mutt’s face appeared. 

“Snape! We need you! Teddy is not doing well! He asked for you!”

Severus’s heart skipped a beat. 

“What?!”

But the mutt didn’t grant any explanation. 

“I opened the floo for you. The address is ‘Grimmauld Place’, hurry.”

Severus cursed the mutt but couldn’t help the panic rising in his chest. He couldn’t lose the boy. He had never cared to anyone like that since Lily. 

He grabbed a handful of floo powder and arrived in a luxurious parlour. A very old elf appeared immediately and bow at him. 

“Kreacher will take you to Young Master Edward,” the creature simply said. 

He sounded as old as he looked but still walked faster than expected. He led Severus to a bedroom on the second floor. The mutt and the werewolf were fretting over an almost lifeless body in the large four-poster bed. 

The boy was so weak he barely looked like his usual self. 

“What happened?” Severus asked. “Where’s Potter?”

The two adults scarcely looked at him before focusing back on the boy. They were trying to tame his fever with cooling charms. 

“We send him to Malfoy Manor… we don’t want him here if…” the werewolf didn’t finish his sentence. He was crying.

“Mediwizards?”

“They left… they said there was no hope left… that he…” Once again, the werewolf’s voice failed to convey the full sentence. 

“He asked for you,” the mutt croaked. “We thought… we thought you knew what’s going on and that you could… help.”

Severus nodded and approached the bed. The werewolf moved to give him access to the boy. The boy seemed to be suffocating. 

“Wolfe?” Severus called. “Wolfe? Are you awake? What happened?”

One of the boy’s eyes cracked open and looked at him before closing painfully away. 

“She… she’s getting married… my... my mom is getting… married… to… not...my dad,” the boy managed to say. 

Severus saw the mutt’s hands gripping the bedsheet he was trembling. 

“Teddy… your mother is not here… she… she died when you were a baby, remember?”

The boy started crying. It was barely noticeable as his face was covering in sweat. 

“You’re not helping Snape!” the mutt groaned. “He wasn’t hallucinating before!”

But Severus decided to ignore him. 

“Wolfe… I think I found a solution but…” the Potion Master took a deep breath. “I need you to tell me who the last horcrux is.”

“WHAT?!!!!” Black exploded. “How dare you talk about something that dark on my son’s bedroom!!!!!”

Once again Severus decided to ignore him and let the werewolf try and calm him. 

“I need to know Wolfe… Is it Potter?”

It was the more plausible hypothesis. Even Dumbledore had come to this conclusion, but they hadn’t been able to confirm it so far.

“D-don’t… don’t kill him…” the boy begged as he did a year and a half earlier. 

“I won’t,” Severus promised. “I found a way. But I need you to confirm it. Is Potter the last horcrux?”

And then, almost imperceptibly, the boy nodded, and Severus let out the breath he was holding. 

“What the meaning of this, Snape?” Black growled.

“I need Potter, you need to bring him back here. Do you have a ceremony room in this house?” Severus asked him while ignoring his question. 

“We do,” the werewolf confirmed. “But what the meaning of this? Why do you need Harry?”

“Because he’s the Dark Lord’s last horcrux…” Severus sighed. “Wolfe, it would be far easier if I could just tell them the truth… Do you authorize me to tell them about your true identity?” he asked the boy before the mutt even had time to try and bark at him again. 

After long seconds, the boy finally nodded again. “Just… just them… don’… don’t tell Har’..r..”

“Nothing to Potter then,” Severus confirmed preventing the boy to exhaust himself while trying to finish that sentence. “Black, do you happen to have a Pensieve too?”   
 


	29. Answers

Remus was looking worriedly at the shallow stone bowl. 

They were in Sirius’s grandfather’s old office. Snape had left for Hogwarts stating that he needed to prepare some stuff before the ritual. He would be back in an hour or so to explain what he was planning. Before living he gave them a small vial containing a silvery substance. He told them it was a memory of Teddy’s childhood which he had stolen through unconsented legilimency during the boy’s first year… And then, Remus had had to stop Sirius from attacking the man for the umpteenth time that day. 

Remus was holding his lover’s hand. Sirius was trembling. He had been since the day before. Unlike him, Sirius had managed not to cry so far. He had been the one to take Harry to Malfoy Manor. Remus didn’t even know how he managed to convince the boy… Harry had been so determined to stay with them so far… 

“Should we go?” he asked in a weak voice. 

Sirius nodded and they both leaned above the magical artefact. 

 

The memory took them to a corridor of a richly decorated mansion, but Remus didn’t recognise it. Sirius confirmed that he didn’t recognise it either. They looked around until they notice a small child with pitch black dark hair. He shouldn’t be more than 5 or 6 and was sitting on the ground in a corner behind a huge vase. He was crying quietly. 

“Is that Teddy?” Sirius asked. 

“Probably…” Remus said. 

A few seconds later, they heard footsteps. They stepped out of the way as a young man in his 20’s with rich wizards robes and long silky blond hair tied with an elegant bow came their way. The small child tried to make himself even smaller and at first, the man didn’t seem to notice him. But then, the child let out a louder sob and the man stopped abruptly. 

Remus and Sirius watched as the man noticed the child and kneeled in front of him. 

“Do you reckon it’s his godfather?” Sirius whispered into Remus’s ear. “I didn’t picture him like that…”

“Hey little one,” the man called in a soft voice. “What are you doing here? Where are your parents?”

The kid sobbed louder but didn’t answer for a long time. But eventually, a really small voice answered. “They died… in the war…”

The man’s face faltered a little, but it didn’t show in his voice when he talked again. “I’m sorry… Mine survived but a lot of my friends died then too… Can I sit with you?”

The kid seemed hesitant before finally nodding then pitching his lips as he was already regretting it. The man had already sat on the floor next to him and had noticed his reaction. “What is it?” he chuckled. 

“My godfather always tells me I shouldn’t talk to strangers…” the kid pouted. 

“Is that so? Then, I must introduce myself! How very rude of me of not doing so sooner! My name is Draco, nice to meet you,” the man smiled and gave his hand to the small kid. 

Remus and Sirius both gasped loudly. It wasn’t possible, was it? It was merely a coincidence… but the man did look like an older version of Draco Malfoy now that they looked at him. 

The kid was watching the hand warily but finally accepted it. “Teddy,” he only said in response. 

“Nice to meet you, Teddy. Now, tell me… What are you doing here alone instead of playing with the other children? Did you see that they put a bouncy Hogwarts Castle in the park?”

Young Teddy tightened his arms around his knees. “The other kids don’t want to play with me… they’re mean.”

“How come?”

“They said that my father was a monster and that I’m a monster too…” 

The young man frowned. “If there’s one thing that I learned from the war, it’s that people are not their parents!” He said. “You always have a choice. Your parents may have drawn a path for you, but you’re the one who will decide to take it or not with all the choices you make growing up. So, I don’t know who your father was or what he did, but I’m positive in saying that you’re far too young to be any kind of monster yourself!”

The kid watched the man as if he was making no sense. “My father was a werewolf,” he finally announced, and the man blanched a little. 

“And are you?” he eventually asked. 

Teddy shook his head but wouldn’t look at the man anymore. 

“I knew a werewolf when I was younger. He was my Defence Against the Dark Art professor at Hogwarts and to be honest, he was the best teacher we ever had in that subject. And we had 6 of them! Well… Snape wasn’t that bad either, but I wasn’t really focusing that year…” the man chuckled unaware of the googling eyes of the two adults watching the memory. “Point is, my father wasn’t a werewolf and he was far more of a monster than Professor Lupin would ever have been! He forced me into the Dark Lord’s service, you see? My father I mean… But I didn’t like it and… eventually… I managed to get out.”

“Professor Lupin?” Sirius mouthed next to Remus and the werewolf just elbowed him. He wanted to know more. 

“That’s why you aren’t in Azkban?” Teddy asked genuinely.

“Azkaban,” Draco corrected him with a sad smile. “Yes… that’s why.” 

He wouldn’t tell more but it didn’t seem to bother the kid. 

“I like your hair…” was Teddy’s next sentence and immediately, his dark hair turned as blond as the man’s. 

The young man jolted a few centimetres away at the realisation, but he didn’t have time to ask the kid about it because someone was loudly coming to their ways. 

“Teddy!!” the new man called. “Teddy, where are you???”

The new man was also in his 20s. He was wearing the red formal uniform that aurors put on for official public events. He had pitch-black messy hair, round glasses and striking green eyes. A fading lighting scar was marking his forehead. 

“Harry…” Remus and Sirius breathed but their voices were covered by Teddy’s. 

“Harry!!!!” the boy exclaimed enthusiastically, jumping on his feet and running to the man. 

The auror caught him in motion and made him fly around laughing before hugging him tightly. The child hugged him back, clearly happy to be in the man’s arms. 

“Where have you been? I was looking for you everywhere…” Adult-Harry scolded lightly. 

“The kids are mean… I want to go home…” the boy muttered against the man’s throat. 

“Is that so? I've finished anyway so maybe we can go home… We’ll have to ask Ginny though…”

The man made a funny grimaced and the boy in his arms made the exact same expression a few seconds later. Then, Harry grinned at him and kissed his forehead. 

“Thank you for finding my godson…” he said, finally addressing the blond man who had got up and was currently trying to get some imaginary dust out of his robe. Harry’s smile seemed to falter when he recognized the man in front of him. “Malfoy?”

“I didn’t know he was yours…” Draco said looking away uncomfortably. 

“N-no… it’s not…”

“Hey! Harry! You know what!!!” Teddy interrupted him excitedly. “Draco said that my dad was the best professor he ever had at Hogwarts!”

Harry raised an eyebrow. “Malfoy said what now?” he asked quizzingly. “And don’t I always tell you that Professor Lupin was the best?”

“Yeah but it’s not the same…” Teddy said. “And also, Draco said that his father was worse than a werewolf and that I’m not a monster!”

“That’s very kind of him… It seems that ‘ _Draco_ ’”, Harry teasingly emphasized the name, “talks a lot, doesn’t he?”

Draco snarled and looked pointedly away, clearly uncomfortable with the whole situation. 

“Do you like Draco’s hair?” Harry finally asked Teddy while playing with said hair. 

Teddy nodded enthusiastically. “Yup. Do you think Aunt Ginny will like it?”

Harry grimaced and Draco smirked. “I doubt it…” they answered at the same time. 

“Oh…” said Teddy disappointedly. 

His hair was fading back to black, but Harry stopped him. “But I like them so you can keep them if you want!” he exclaimed. 

“Really?????” Teddy’s hair was back to platinum blond immediately. 

Harry nodded and suddenly two small hands were on each of his cheeks. 

“I like Harry’s eyes the most too…” Teddy said in a low voice as he was focusing on the colour. Suddenly, Harry had a kid with platinum blond hair and emerald green eyes in his arms. Teddy looked at Draco. “What do you think Draco??” he asked excitingly. 

“I think the sight is…unsettling…” he articulated every syllable of that last word and Harry snorted. 

“You sound like Snape…”

“He was a great man,” Draco answered. 

“That he was,” Harry confirmed. “Teddy, I think we should get going. Ginny must be wondering where we disappeared.”

Teddy nodded. “And then we can go home!”

“Yup!” Harry smiled at him before hugging him tightly. “Thank you for looking after him Malfoy.”

Draco only shrugged and looked away, uncomfortable again. 

“M-Malfoy?”

“What?”

“I…I promised Andromeda that I would teach Teddy about the Black family’s history but I’m afraid Sirius didn’t go into great details about them while he was alive… and I purely and simply don’t know where to start with the Black Library in Grimmauld… If you’re not too busy, would you mind coming over and help me sort it out?”

“You want to grant me access to the Black Library?” Draco repeated incredulously. 

“Well… if you want to. Or your mother, maybe? I just want Teddy to have all the answers about his family he might possibly need when he grows up…”

“I’m pretty sure it’s against my parole… there are plenty of Dark Art related books there…”

“Well, as the head of the DLME, I can grant you permission…”

“Abusing your power already, Potter?” Draco raised an eyebrow. “What would people say…”

“Well, their bad for giving me that power in the first place,” Harry smirked. “Just think about it, okay?”

Draco only gave a dismissive shrug and the memory dissolved around Sirius and Remus. 

 

They were back in Sirius’s grandfather’s office in Grimmauld Place. 

“W-what was that?” Sirius gasped. “Was that really Harry and Draco???”

“They seemed to hate each other at first…” Remus said, sliding on the floor. “Like James and Snape…”

“What the hell????” Sirius yelled. “It doesn’t answer anything!”

“Teddy’s from the future…” Remus muttered. “I… I’m his… dad?”

This sentence froze Sirius into place. “It’s not possible,” he just stated. “It’s not bloody possible!!”

Sirius was yelling again but Remus knew it was the truth. The simplest theory explained everything. The way Teddy reacted the first time he met him. The way they immediately bonded or the way the boy would just melt from happiness every time Remus called him ‘son’. The reason why Teddy looked so much like him when he was too tired to keep his metamorphmagus abilities on…

The pieces were putting themselves into place. 

Harry and Draco didn’t seem to be more than 25 in the memory… maybe even less than that. And Teddy was probably around 6. So, it meant that Harry would have been 19 max when Teddy was born… No. Teddy told him that his godfather was still in school when his parents died. Harry had been 17 when Remus died, and Teddy was born less than a month before that… 

Teddy should be born in about a year then… but it made no sense. Remus was nowhere near settling out with any girl soon! Remus loved Sirius and Sirius was still there with him, no longer kept away in Azkaban…

And suddenly he realised. 

“Teddy had changed the future and now he will no longer be born,” Remus said aloud, and Sirius just crashed on the ground next to him.

 


	30. Resolution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Tissues recommended*

When Snape came back to Grimmauld Place, Sirius and Remus were back in Teddy’s room. Remus seemed to be crying even more than before. 

“I’m sorry, son,” he was muttering over the boy’s unconscious body. “You should have told me… I love you… I love you so much and was so afraid of taking your father or godfather’s place.”

Sirius was quiet which was frightening coming from him. He was the one to notice that Snape was back. 

“Remus thinks that Teddy is his son from the future and that he’s in that state because he erased himself from history. Is that your theory too?” he asked in a sharp tone. 

Snape nodded. 

“How did you know?”

“He was the one to put it together,” Snape answered looking at Teddy. “It started when you didn’t die last year. I guess that not losing you prevent the wolf from pursuing the boy’s mother…”

Sirius’s grey eyes sharpened, and Remus shuddered above Teddy’s body. 

“Who’s the mother?” Sirius asked. 

Snape shrugged. “He didn’t tell me…”

“Dora…” Remus croaked. “It must be Nymphadora. Teddy was so shocked when he learned that we were together, Pads… he told me that was because he thought I would end up with Dora… That’s where his metamorphmagus ability comes from…”

“Why would you do something like that?!!” 

“When I confronted him, the boy talked about the war and people dying…” Snape answered. 

“What war?! We’ve been in peace for the last fifteen years!” Sirius barked. 

“Because he prevented it,” Snape said calmly. “He changed the future from the moment he appeared here, in 1991. From what I gathered from him; the Dark Lord should have come back at the end of the Triwizard Tournament.”

Sirius and Remus looked at him as if he had grown a second head. 

“We don’t have time for that…” Remus finally said. “What can we do to save Teddy? Should I sleep with Dora and…”

“You’ll go nowhere near my baby cousin, Rem’!!!” Sirius shouted at him. 

“She’s not a baby! She’s getting married! She’s older than James and Lily when they had Harry! She’s old enough to bear children! Merlin, she had borne my child at this age before!!” Remus screamed back. 

“Teddy wouldn’t want you to do that, I’m afraid,” Snape sighed.

“How do you know?” Remus glared at him. 

“Because I suggested the idea to him back in September and he refused categorically,” he shrugged. “He asked me to find another solution, and that’s what I did.”

“What is it?” Sirius asked. 

“Teddy Wolfe or rather Lupin’s identity is doomed to disappear before the end of the next year. However, this identity doesn’t necessarily have to be attached to this boy’s body,” Snape said while looking at Teddy’s unconscious form.

“What?!!” 

“He wants to switch Teddy’s identity with someone else’s so that this other person disappeared instead of Teddy…” Remus explained. 

Snape nodded approvingly to him. The wolf had always been the smartest one of their stupid group. 

“Who do you have in mind?” Sirius asked. “And don’t you dare say Harry’s name because if it was why you asked us to call him over before, I’ll kill you.”

“I wasn’t thinking about Potter…”

“We can’t do that. We can’t sacrifice someone else just to save Teddy… he would never forgive us if we do that…” Remus moaned. 

“Who, Snape?” Sirius insisted. 

“The Dark Lord.”

 

The plan was simple, in principle. It had 3 steps. 

First, they were to reunite Harry’s horcrux with Voldemort’s remaining body, making it somewhat whole again – despite the 5 other horcruxes being destroyed already – but above all, thankfully mortal. This step would require a few potions that Harry would have to drink and a fair piece of magic. If everything went according to plan and if Snape’s researches were exact, Harry should survive. 

Second, as quickly as possible to prevent the eventuality of Voldemort getting too much power after his fusion – even if he should only possess around 1/32th of his original soul – they would perform a runic ritual which would trick magic into thinking Voldemort is Teddy. This step would shift Teddy’s identity on Voldemort’s body and, thankfully, his inevitable fate with it. 

Lastly, Remus and Sirius would perform a blood adoption on Teddy to give him a new identity and anchor him into this world once again. Blood adoptions had been made illegal because if the child’s magic rejects his new parents’, they could end up as squibs… However, the law had foreseen some exceptions and, as such, had never been translated into Goblin Laws. Gringotts had agreed to ratify the adoption for a fee. As Teddy would still be the Heir of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black and Remus’s biological son, Snape was confident that his magic wouldn’t reject Sirius’s and Remus’s anyway. 

To be honest, this series of rituals was anything but simple. Each of them should require months of preparation. But they didn’t have that time. So, they tried to get over with it in less than a week before Teddy was definitely too weak to survive the whole process. 

They would also need help. But there was no way they revealed Teddy’s true identity to anyone else… So, Snape came up with a story: 

Seven years ago, Teddy’s godfather had been the one to track down the Dark Lord’s horcruxes. As the ministry had been compromised in the past, no one would know about his mission except the late director of the Department of Mysteries who died a few years back. 

Upon retrieving the first horcrux, the Slytherin Locket, the man had been hit by a curse which would cause his death and the death of his whole family. Teddy’s godfather had immediately cut ties with his entire family but hadn’t been fast enough to spare Teddy, the most important person in his life. He spent the last weeks of his life trying to find a counter-curse for his godson, but he could only delay the unavoidable fate. So, he did everything he could and wrote two letters. The first, to one Albus Dumbledore, guiding him into finishing his task and making sure the Dark Lord was mortal once again. The second, to Severus Snape, begging him to look after his godson whose identity was to stay secret as the man would have many enemies seeking vengeance. 

As Teddy was reaching his coming of age, his godfather’s protection was faltering. Snape had studied the man’s curse for years and came to the conclusion that it couldn’t be countered but only move to another person. 

Thankfully, if their whole plan worked, the Dark Lord would die under his very own curse. 

If everything went according to plan, they could kill two birds with one stone. 

 

Teddy was in a train station which looked like Kings Cross but very clean and very white. He didn’t know how he got there but he didn’t really care since his body had stopped hurting and that alone was glorious. He looked at his reflexion in the train’s glass, forced his hair turquoise blue and they happily complied. Teddy smiled; his magic was back too then. 

He wondered where he was though… There was no one around and the silence was stronger than anything he’d ever experienced. 

Maybe he was dead and that was what death looked like.

“Teddy?” a deep voice called behind him and Teddy turned in that direction. 

The man was in his 30s, a loose half-bun was tying his messy black hair. He was wearing round glasses which couldn’t hide deep emerald eyes. An old fading lighting scar branded his forehead.

“H-Harry?” Teddy choked. “M-my godfather’s Harry?” 

The man’s face cracked into a relieved smile. He marched quickly to Teddy and caught him into a tight hug. 

“Of course, I’m your godfather, silly… who else would I be??” the man asked, half laughing half crying into Teddy’s hair. 

Teddy nodded and dived into the man’s scent. He had missed that. His best friend Harry’s scent wasn’t exactly the same after all. 

The man stepped back and took Teddy’s face in his large hand. Teddy realised that he was slightly taller than him now. 

“You became so big…” Harry said while looking at him. “What happened to you? I’ve searched for you everywhere!!!”

“I…” Teddy started but he didn’t know what to say next, so he only smiled sheepishly. “What do you know?”

The man frowned. “Six years ago, I came home on my birthday and you were gone. Ginny told me there has been an accident, that you got lost into the floo system but the aurors couldn’t retrieve you… After a few days, they told me you were probably dead by now, but I knew it wasn’t true because I could feel through my godfather’s bond that you were alive and…okay?”

Harry looked at him expectantly as if he wanted him to confirm. Teddy just nodded. 

“Everything changed a few months ago though… You… The bond told me that you weren’t doing so well anymore, and I desperately tried to find you again… not that I’ve ever stopped, mind you. But you were nowhere to be found. No tracking charm, no ritual, nothing could locate you! You were dying and I couldn’t get to you. Then, Draco found that old charm in the Black Library that used the godparent-godchild’s bond to bring the godparent to the godchild. It supposedly only works if the godchild is at the edge of death… I wasn’t sure I wanted it to work but… here we are. Where are you now? Are you… are you dead?” Harry’s voice broke. “That looks like where I went and had a talk with Dumbledore when I first died… Have you been here for six years??”

Teddy shook his head. “No, I’ve just got here a few minutes before you… I don’t know what this place is… as for being dead… I’m not sure… I haven’t been doing so well for the past 6 months…” he admitted. 

Harry nodded with a sad knowing smile. He clearly wanted to know more. 

“Harry… On that day, 6 years ago… Ginny, she…” Teddy started but was he really allowed to tell the man something like that. What if he had raised Ginny’s kid as his own? What if Teddy destroyed a family – no matter how dysfunctional – by telling him what he knew?

“I know…” Harry sighed. “On that day, I was late because I was at St Mungo's. Something one of my colleagues said about hereditary diseases and intolerances to some potions while in the womb freaked me out and I went there to have a full check-up just to make sure I wasn’t risking passing down anything to my kid…” He shook his head. “Turned out I’ve had a pretty severe condition of Love Potion blood poisoning – that I had for years, according to the residues they found in my hair. I was completely infertile by then so whoever it was, the baby in my wife’s womb was definitively not mine… I was planning on confronting Ginny that evening but then… you had disappeared, and nothing mattered anymore.” He stroked Teddy’s cheek with his thumb as for comforting himself in the idea that he was still there. “She confessed a few weeks later. She told me that you caught her with her lover and that she chased you to make you promise you won’t tell me anything. You got scared and, in your panic, lost yourself in the floo system…” he sighed. “Can you at least tell me where you have been?”

The man was on the verge of crying and Teddy felt his own eyes burning. 

“I wasn’t lost in the floo system, I… I was looking for your two-ways mirror but came across your time-turner in your office instead. I went for the floo, and as Ginny said, I panicked. She cast a spell and I think the time-turner broke at the same time I threw the floo powder… Next thing I know I was outside in a street in London in 1991.”

“What?!!”

Teddy smiled sheepishly at his godfather. “We first met on the 31st of July 1991 in the Leaky Cauldron when Hagrid took you to Diagon to buy your school stuff in first year. Did the Dursleys really couldn’t afford a belt so that you were using a rope?”

Harry gaped at him. “What next? Did you tell someone? Did you go to Dumbledore?”

“Well… The goblins helped me, and I surprisingly got a Hogwarts letter. You invited me to shop with Hagrid and you as I was alone and at first, I just thought I might enjoy that. I bought some books about time-travel and decided that I wouldn’t risk getting locked into the DOM, so I didn’t tell anyone and went to Hogwarts like anyone else.”

“You… you played along with it??”

Teddy shrugged. “I was 11 and I had no idea how to go back anyway. I didn’t do nothing though. I wrote an anonymous letter to Dumbledore during the summer to tell him all about the horcruxes and where to find them. I asked Kreacher to deliver it along with the Slytherin Locket. I never told him about your… scar, though. I wasn’t confident that he would not decide to sacrifice you for the Greater Good like he did last time…”

Harry chuckled slightly. “And how did it go?”

“Well? Dumbledore gathered and destroyed the five horcruxes – ah! Nagini wasn’t one yet apparently. He also got Quirrell arrested during Halloween. I think that’s when he locked Voldemort up. As for me, I became best friend with you and Ron on the train and was sorted into Hufflepuff while you two, unsurprisingly, went to Gryffindor. I also became best friend with Hermione and Draco a few weeks later.”

“Draco? Like in Draco Malfoy?”

Teddy nodded. “His father went to Azkaban because of the Diary, but his mother made a deal with Dumbledore. I think that’s how they got access to Lestrange’s vault and got the Hufflepuff Cup… She also reported dozens of names of free-walking active Death Eaters. She still got a few weeks in Azkaban but at least, Draco had his mother back before Christmas… As a result, he lost most of his friends though… he got estranged from the school whether it was because of his father or his mother, nobody seemed to want to stay with him and… you know how he had always been keen on me? I just wanted to do the same for the child version of him. And we became best friends!”

Harry smiled proudly. “Sounds like a busy first year.”

“Yup! And I also _ratted_ Pettigrew out to McGonagall during a study session!”

Harry laughed. “That’s an awful pun, Teddy! It sounds like something Sirius might say!” Teddy grinned excitedly. “Okay, what’s the story?”

“Well, as they caught Pettigrew, Sirius was released and known as a free man since your first year. He immediately contacted you and asked you if you wanted to live with him when you first met him during Christmas Holidays. Obviously, you said yes, and Sirius adopted you before the end of the year. As magic is weird sometimes, I was still recognized as the Black Heir and Sirius is now Lord Black, so he adopted me too when he found out I was alone…”

Harry smiled. “That sounds like something Sirius might do. Does that mean that we are brothers now?”

Teddy nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! But you’re still my best friend too! Oh, and that first summer, I met Remus and he came live with us too!”

“Is that so? Did you tell him he was your father?”

Teddy shook his head. “I couldn’t. I was afraid they would force me away if I ever talk. But it was okay. After that, life went on and we surprisingly didn’t go into any great adventures… I mean, we didn’t get the Philosopher Stone, the Chamber of Secrets hadn’t been opened… obviously, Sirius didn’t escape from Azkaban so there were no dementors in 3rd year. The Triwizard Tournament did happen, but you weren’t a Champion. Cedric still died though… He was bitten by an acromentula during the last task…”

“Oh… I remember the acromentula. I saved him from it in my time…”

“Really? That made sense then…” Teddy nodded pensively. “We became prefects! You, Draco and I! They made us for our 5th year.”

“Really? Congratulations Teddy! I’m so very proud of you! Your parents must be proud too.”

“They are! Remus spent the whole summer teasing Sirius because he was the only non-prefect in Grimmauld! And Sirius always complain that he let Remus turn us into prefects and that Prongs must be rolling inside his grave.”

“My mother was a prefect and my father had been Head Boy,” Harry snorted. 

“That’s what Remus always tell him!” Teddy laughed. 

Harry smiled lovingly. “Sounds like fun…”

“It is. I love them. I achieved 11 O.W.Ls last year… And… Oh! And you are currently in a very happy relationship with Draco!”

“Am I??? And how did that happen?”

“Well, you both were pretty annoying during 4th year as you didn’t have Quidditch practice and you were spending all your free time on my back, so I got sick of it. I asked Krum and he gave me his personal training routine and I gave it to the two of you and… well, you kind of started spending all your time together… Then Draco confessed at the end of the year and… you told him that you had to take it through me first. The thing is, I wasn’t really available that summer as Cedric had just died and I was freaking out that maybe I couldn’t prevent deaths from happening. And Draco had to wait for his answer for two months!!!!”

Harry grimaced. “Draco hates to wait…” he said. 

“Yeah… he was pretty pissed at me. Even send me a howler so that I stop my research and talk to my brother… Anyway, you have been together since then and I’m pretty confident that you will end up marrying the guy one day.”

Harry barked a laugh that sounded a bit like Sirius. 

“What?”

“I’m… kind of in a relationship with Draco now too…”

“What?!!! How did that happen???”

“Well, as I stated earlier, I knew about Ginny, so we didn’t stay together. And Draco… well, he had been there. When I was looking for you, at every step, even when Ron and Hermione tried to convince me to give up, he was there and… things happened. It had been around 3 years now… and… I love him… It’s so different from the artificial feelings I had for Ginny… It’s a wonder how I could have mistaken it… He proposed a few weeks back and wants to adopt but… I’m not sure I’m ready to have another child after losing you…” Harry admitted, sorrow shining into his emerald eyes. 

“You should,” Teddy told him. “You deserved to have a happy family too…”

“From what you just told me, it seems that you gave me one already,” Harry smiled sadly. 

“It’s not the same and you know it…” he sighed. “I’m not alone, you know? Snape discovered who I was back in 1st year… I don’t really know how though… and he had been helping me. He taught me the wolfsbane potion when I asked him. We are currently working on improving it. Draco is helping too… I agreed that Snape tells Remus and Sirius the truth about me… I think it was yesterday, but it may have been longer…”

Teddy frowned suddenly. 

“What is it?”

“I… I think I’m not dead yet… I heard Harry and Draco – Ah! My brother Harry I mean – talking shit about Hufflepuff again…”

Harry smirked. “Really?”

“Yeah… I told them to shut up because I was talking to you and Draco just tell me that… I should ask you, but he’s pretty sure you’ll be happy to wait a few more decades before talking to me…” Teddy repeated. “They think you’re dead…”

“Well, if I’m supposedly dead and you’re talking to me, I agree with Draco and I could wait a few more decades or even a century if it means that you got to live a long and happy life…”

Teddy smiled softly, imitating his godfather. 

“What about you?” Harry asked. “Do you have a significant other in your life?”

“Not really… I dated a fair number of girls last year… I mean, I’m pretty popular!”

“I could have guessed that,” Harry smirked, running his hand on Teddy’s turquoise blue hair and then brushing his pierced hear.

“You did that actually!”

“Did I?”

“Yup! We were drunk and clearly unprepared, and it could have ended badly… probably… but Sirius and Remus got home from their date just in time and Sirius saved the day… Then Remus grounded us for two months.”

“That seemed a fair punishment.”

“Hey!” Teddy protested but faltered immediately under his godfather’s grin. “I don’t care. It was worth it. I’m handsome.”

“That you are,” Harry confirmed. “Teddy, what happened six months ago?”

Teddy looked away. “Sirius didn’t die and… my magic went wild. I guessed that, as he didn’t die, my parents didn’t get a chance to get together…”

“I’ve always suspected that Tonks might have had a crush on Sirius…” Harry nodded. 

“What?!! Nooo!” Teddy exclaimed. “They’re like second cousins! It’s just… URGH!”

Harry raised his eyebrows, surprised by this reaction. 

“No, Sirius and Remus are going out together! They had been in a relationship since their days at Hogwarts! Dora had had a crush on Remus since like forever, but she is now marrying some guy named Diego…”

Harry blinked a few times. “I… I didn’t know… They never told…”

“Maybe they didn’t go back together last time?” Teddy supplied. “Or maybe they didn’t know how to tell you… with the war going on and all… Anyway, they really love each other, and they are both really good parents.”

“That’s great…”

“Harry… what am I going to do?”

The man looked at him sadly. 

“What do you want to do? Do you want to go back with me?”

“I… My family is there with them now… I love you and I missed you every day but…”

Harry kept on smiling; he knew. He wept the tears forming on Teddy’s cheek and gave him another hug. 

“It’s okay, Teddy… I’m not mad at you. You’re happy and that’s the most important thing for me.”

“I miss you, Harry…”

“I know… I miss you too. But you have to go back to them,” he tightened his grip one last time before letting him go. He was crying too now. “Can you do something for me?”

“Anything!”

“When you go back, could you tell Sirius and Remus that I love them and that I miss them? And also tell them thank you. Thank you for taking care of you when I couldn’t do it myself. Okay?”

Teddy nodded. He was crying too much to talk. 

“Be happy, Teddy. You have to promise me to be happy too.”

Once again, Teddy nodded but he could feel that their time together was over. 

“I don’t want to see you again before another century, you hear me?”

“H-harry…” Teddy choked

“I love you, son.”

And everything went blinding white. 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... did you cry?


	31. Epilogue

Teddy was about to ask Remus for help with bow tie when an owl came in and landed in the chair just next to where he was standing.

‘ _Mister Lupin-Black,_

_I’m very pleased to inform you that Tom Marvolo Riddle, also known as the last Dark Lord Voldemort, had succumbed to the curse which was previously affecting you on Wednesday 16th of July 1997. Once again, I would like to personally thank you for your contribution to the war effort and present you my late and deepest condolences for the loss of your godfather, hero in the shadow who had sacrificed his life to prevent yet another war. For this, the Wizarding People of Great Britain should forever be in his debt._

_I would like to take this opportunity to also inform you, that, after deliberation with the teaching staff and the board of governors, your name had been called to the Head Boy position next year. If you were to refuse this position, please owl me as soon as possible._

_Until then, I wish you a very happy summer and hope to see you well in September._

_Yours sincerely,_

_Professor Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore_  
_Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry_ ’

“Holy shit…” Teddy breathed.

“Language,” Remus corrected him as he entered the room. “What is it?”

“I’ve been appointed Head Boy…”

“What?????” Remus almost ran to him to read the letter himself. “SIRIUS!!!!” he called then.

“What????” Sirius barked from the other side of the house. “I’m kind of busy trying to do something with Harry’s disastrous mop he likes to call hair right now!!”

“I think you would want to go down for this!” Remus said back while picking up Teddy’s bow tie and putting it around the boy’s neck.

“What is it?” Sirius asked a few seconds later while appearing in the room.

“Let me present you, Hogwarts latest Head Boy!” Remus announced proudly while turning Teddy’s body, so the boy faced the newcomer.

“What?! You’re kidding me, right??”

Teddy shook his head and gave him Dumbledore’s letter.

“Fuck… it’s even worse than Prefect…” Sirius groaned, and Teddy and Remus laughed.

“Congratulations, we are very proud of you, son,” Remus whispered into Teddy’s hear, hugging him from behind.

Teddy smiled and leaned against his father happily. Then, something came across his mind.

“The 16th of July… Does that mean that I haven’t been conceived in a broom closet during Bill and Fleur’s wedding like Uncle Charlie had always pretended?”

“Had he been insinuating that I could just shagged a girl in a mere broom closet?!” Remus pretended to be offended.

“Well…”

“Stop pretending to be a gentleman, Moony. You could so totally do that! As a matter of fact, I very much intend to let you shag me in the broom closet of your choice during that weeding…” Sirius smirked.

“Urgh… Too much information!” Teddy grimaced.

“What is it?” Harry asked while entering the room.

“They plan to shag in a broom closet during the wedding…” Teddy answered.

Harry froze and looked up from the tie he was trying to put in place.

“Urgh… Too much information…” he grimaced. His face made the exact same expression as Teddy’s a few seconds earlier. “Next time, please, keep it for you!” he scolded Teddy.

“Well, you asked. And you know I love sharing!” Teddy smirked.

“Yeah… Like the three of you had shared private jokes since the beginning of summer and wouldn’t tell me about it…” Harry sighed while apparently giving up on his tie.

Teddy felt a little bad and he shared a look with Sirius while Remus helped Harry with his tie. Harry was the only one who wasn’t in the confidence of Teddy’s real origins.

“Harry… Do you… Do you want to know what this is all about?” Teddy asked uncomfortably.

Harry shrugged and thanked Remus quietly.

“Well, you know my very perfect godfather? Well, in reality, it’s you. I’m from the future and Remus is my biological dad. He made you godfather before he died.”

Harry stayed silent for a few seconds, then frowned. “Yeah… very funny, asshole. Now, if you’re done speaking nonsense, I need to go pick my boyfriend so we’re not too late… See you at the Burrow!”

“Wait, Harry! What about your hair???” Sirius called after him.

Teddy stayed behind with Remus, bewildered.

“He didn’t believe me, did he?” he asked.

“Well… Does it matter?” Remus smiled at him. “You’ve both always been our sons, even before we knew who you really were…”

Teddy crossed his father’s loving eyes and smiled back.

“Let’s go, I don’t like to be late!”

 

Teddy was thinking back on the last six months of his life while watching Fleur Delacour walking down the aisle at her father’s arm.

Snape, Sirius and Remus had saved him. They actually saved his life while also freeing Harry from Voldemort’s last horcrux and ensuring that his secret wouldn’t be known by other than the three of them. It was pretty incredible when he thought about it.

He had gone back to school one week late after the Christmas holidays and he thought it could have stayed unnoticed, but he had been so very wrong. He had been back during a Sunday afternoon and had stayed with Hermione most of it to try and catch up with what he missed. Nothing could have prepared him for the big feast waiting for him to celebrate his come back when he had walk into the Great Hall for dinner. Once again, Teddy had realised just how much he had been loved, not only by his closest friends and family, but also by so many people in the school. He had wondered if his nomination as Head Boy would come as a shock for his friends, but clearly, they had all expected it. The most comical reaction had been from Ron, however.

“I’m going out with the Head Girl and my best friends are the Head Boy and two Prefects who also happen to be the Quidditch Captains of their respective Houses… I’m the loser of the band, am I not?”

“Oh? So, you’re considering me as one of your best friends?” Draco had smirked. “Should I be flattered?”

“Oh, shut up you tosser! You’re lucky Harry likes to shag you, otherwise…” Ron had snapped back but never finished his sentence.

“Otherwise, what?” Draco had teased again.

“Otherwise your hair would be as red as his for so much longer than just a few hours…” Harry had stated innocently to make him stop.

“What?!!!”

Obviously, it had just been a feint and the four of them had just laughed it out. They then tried to reassure Ron about his self-esteem but finally agreed to let him beat their asses in Wizarding Chest Game at least once a week to compensate for his miserable situation.

After the ceremony, Teddy was approached by a very lovely teenager, with silvery-blonde hair and a dazzling smile and he had to force himself to stop looking at her lips when she talked.

“Bonjour Gaby, ça fait longtemps !"

"Hello Teddy, a long time indeed,” she smiled back and kissed his cheek.

Teddy knew that it was just a greeting kiss because she was French, but he really wasn’t used to it.

“How is your internship program going?” Teddy asked, switching back to English as the girl’s speaking level had clearly improved. “Any news yet?”

“I had, actually,” she answered with a mutinous smile, batting her eyelashes one time and looking at him from below as she was shorter than him. Teddy felt his heart skipping a beat. “I got in,” she continued as if everything was normal. “I’ll do my next year in Hogwarts and I asked to be placed in the Hufflepuff dorm.”

“Is that so?” Teddy said while sipping his drink as casually as possible.

“Yes… I heard the Head Boy would be there too… I hope he would find some time to show me around during the first few weeks of school… If I remember correctly, the Castle is a real labyrinth…”

Teddy pretended to think about the idea. “Yeah… I’m sure showing transfer students around must be part of the Head Boy’s duty…”

“See you along, then?”

“Yeah… that…”

And before he knew it, the girl had hugged him and kissed him on the cheek again. She then flew away to her cousins’ table, chanting happily.

“Edward… Your bangs are turning pink…” Draco’s voice hissed next to his ear.

“What?!!” Teddy panicked, he grabbed his two-way mirror from his pocket and looked at it. His hair was still its now usual turquoise blue.

Harry and Draco were chuckling next to him while sipping a glass of wine.

“Assholes…” Teddy sneered at them when he realised that they had been playing him.

 

31st of July 2009

“Are you sure you’re okay with it?” Teddy asked before the large door.

“As I already told you millions of times, yes, I’m sure. He’s your brother and I know how important this is for you…” Gaby sighed next to him. “We’ll tell Fleur and my parents on Sunday, it’s at ours this time, remember?”

“How could I forget?” Teddy grinned. “Our tiny apartment filled with three devilish children. Victoire sent me three owls to make sure she will seat at the adult table next to me this time, otherwise, she wouldn’t come, you know?”

“I know, what can I say? I can’t wait for her to grow out of her childish crush on you…”

“Aren’t you a little bit worried she could steal me away?”

Gaby scoffed. “You saw her on her birth day and you actually named her, she will always be a baby in your eyes. She’s no game at all!”

Teddy’s smile deepened before he kissed his wife tenderly. “Let’s go then.”

They knocked at the large door and a storm of small feet resonated on the other side of the door.

“Fiiiiiiiirst!!!!” a small voice squealed before a loud smash made the wooden door tremble.

“No! I was first!!!!!” another one yelled.

And the door opened revealing a small 7-year-old with blue eyes and dark brown hair. Another child with red hair, a little younger, was trying to push him out of the way.

“Max! No! What does Harry always say about opening the door to strangers!” a teenager scolded from the other side of the corridor. “Oh! Hello, Professor! Mrs Lupin-Black.” She said while seeing the two people on the porch. She was holding a small toddler with watery grey eyes on her arms.

“Hello, Miss Rivers! How are you? How are your summer assignments going?”

The teenager grimaced. “Why Professor Lupin-Black? Why? What did I ever do to you for you to be so cruel??? Just as I thought I was your favourite Gryffindor so far…” she lamented dramatically.

The two young kids were still struggling around the door and the redhaired inevitably ended up on the ground crying.

“Urgh…” the teenager sighed. “DRACO!!!!!” she yelled. “Injured person here!!!!”

The man with silky blond hair appeared a few seconds later and look of the kid who barely have a scratch on his knee.

“Max, Julian, to the living room, now…” he ordered with a stern voice and the two kids ran away, followed by the young teenager. Draco got up and eyed Teddy critically.

“Can’t even manage an episkey, Edward?” he snarled before smiling kindly to Gaby. “Hello, Gaby,” he said pleasantly while giving her a bise.

“Well, you’re the healer here… I’m just a mere Potion Master,” Teddy teased.

“Hello Draco. How are you?” Gaby said before letting the other man a chance to talk back.

“Tired, as always at this time of the year when the teenagers are back from Hogwarts. Harry’s in the kitchen.”

“Are you letting my brother baking his own birthday cake???” Teddy exclaimed while pretending to be shocked by his best friend’s behaviour.

Draco glared at him. “The kids are making the cake. Sirius was supposed to be monitoring but… well, he’s your father, I won’t explain to you what happen when you let the man around flour…”

Teddy and Gaby chuckled slightly.

“How are my manners… Gaby, what do you drink? I just received the best elf wine last week; you have to tell me what you think about it!” Draco explained, stealing Teddy’s wife away from him.

The two spouses had only time to share a silent eye exchange before Teddy heard his girl answering pleasantly.

“Well, I have had that small headaches for a few days actually… I doubt alcohol would be advisory…”

Teddy shook his head, knowing that that excuse wouldn’t probably take for more than a few hours. He walked to the big kitchen area and found the place covered in flour, a very whitened Padfoot was rolling on the flour with a bunch of kids between 4 and 8. Remus and Harry seemed busy trying to save whatever was left to save from that very _Sirius_ disaster.

“Need a hand?” he announced himself.

“Teddy!!!!!” Harry squealed as if he was the saviour of the wizarding world.

“Hey cub! How are you?” Remus asked before hugging him.

“Fine, thank you. How are you?”

Remus eyed critically at Padfoot. “Do you happen to know any good dog shelter?” he asked and both Harry and Teddy started laughing.

Teddy then hugged his brother too. “Do you have a minute? I need to talk to you…” he whispered.

Harry looked at him quizzingly and nodded. “Rem, can you take them to the living room? I think it’ll be easier if I just finish here with Teddy. I reckon Hermione, Ron and Rose will be there soon.”

Remus agreed and brought Padfoot and the myriad of kids with him.

Teddy casted a large evanesco and the kitchen went back to an almost normal state in an instant.

“What do you need me to do?” he asked Harry.

“Nothing much, we were almost done anyway. Sirius only ruin the icing, but I can do it again quickly. What is it?”

Teddy took a deep breath. He perfectly knew that he had nothing to fear but somehow, it wasn’t making it any easier.

“Well… Gaby and I, we… we might have something big to announce…” he started.

Harry immediately stopped what he was doing and stared at him.

“And… you’re the first to know because I was wondering if, perhaps, you would agree to be our future child’s godfather…?”

“You’re kidding, right?” Harry asked after long seconds of silence. “How can you wonder that?!!! Of course! Of course, I’d love to!! Teddy! You’re going to be a daddy??????”

Teddy nodded, his eyes were burning already when his brother jumped on his back and hugged him tightly.

“Come on! Let’s wrap this up so I can go and congratulate the wonderful mother of my exceptional future godchild!!! How far is she?”

“Only a few weeks, we learned about it yesterday,” Teddy admitted. “We haven’t told her family yet…”

“Oh… Do you want me to keep it quiet then?”

“Na! It’s okay, we agreed to tell you all,” Teddy dismissed. “I just wanted you to be the first.” He laughed. “I just hope that would be enough to stop Draco to try and force alcohol down my wife’s throat…”

“Oh… he would be so disappointed about losing his drinking buddy for the next few months…”

“I think they like to call themselves _oenologists_ …” Teddy smirked. “Come on, let’s go!”

Harry nodded and they walked together to the large living room. A large streamer was floating above the fireplace spelling ‘ _Happy Birthday Director Harry! From the children of The Kids-Who-Lived – Institute for Gifted Children_ ’.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here it is!  
> Sorry for the delay, I'm currently moving in in a new apartment I just bought and real life has been a bit chaotic for a few weeks already! 
> 
> So... This is the end of that story!  
> As I stated in a previous chapter note, I'm currently working on a spin-off following Draco's pov on the last events of that story (from the time he kissed Harry in that lockerroom, basically, to the situation in this epilogue). I'm not sure I will keep on with it yet, but if you're interesting, please tell me so in the comment. If I release the spin-off, I would put a notification on this story to let you know anyway. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed reading this story, I certainly enjoyed writing it.  
> See you soon, maybe!


End file.
